


Of Tea and Chess

by teaandchess



Series: Games of Wonderland [1]
Category: Alice (2009)
Genre: Alice in Wonderland References, Battle, Canon-Typical Violence, Epic, F/M, Falling In Love, Gen, Magic, Post-Canon, Sexual Content, Tricksters, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-15 07:53:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 48
Words: 236,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4598796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandchess/pseuds/teaandchess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Tea Party, Addictions, a Chess Game in the extreme and the value of trust. Alice & Hatter's return to Wonderland shows them that maybe there is no such thing as coincidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frustrations

 

It lasted a total of three weeks.

Three weeks of coming back into her world where everything made sense rather than the backwards life of Wonderland. Three weeks dodging questions from her mother and spent in rare vacation so that all she did was read, clean and force herself to relax.

Relax as best she could that was.

Three weeks before Wonderland began to suck her back in.

It started as quietly as her last adventure did, a normal day where nearly nothing exceptional happened. Nearly nothing was the best she could hope for when it came to going on a date with David T. Hatter. Usually the dates were an odd mixture of conversation and excitement. However, his infectious enthusiasm had been dampened by the tiny argument they had had earlier that day regarding the proper way to avoid a fight at a local bar.

Hatter loved the idea of the Oyster pubs and bars. Loved the atmosphere and the chance to thoroughly stir up confusion with just a few words. Alice had decided early to never take him to a dance club because something about that light in his eyes worried her and she decided quickly that perhaps she had better avoid those. She didn't need him have any new obsessions or lists as to what he wanted.

She was the first at that list, he told her.

Normally, he was the epitome of zany gentleman at the local bar, attentive to her and friendly to others. His loss of temper had occurred when Alice had found herself being accosted by an overly zealous pool player that had hated how Hatter easily hustled him out of more than two hundred dollars. Despite Alice's continued threats about such activity, she had to admit that it was almost too easily done and he did it almost as well as he could win at poker or Old Maid (a game she had never thought to bet money on). Hatter was too damned clever at deception. The pool shark had thought so too and, in an effort to distract Hatter from a shot, had promptly given Alice a hearty slap on her butt. Then with a loud crunch, pop and a groan, the man was on the floor surrounded by stunned customers and Alice was hurrying Hatter back and out to her apartment.

He may have come across the Mirror for her but he had not lost that sledgehammer of a right hook, the ability to talk nonsense for minutes on end, nor the cocksure way he carried himself. He had nearly distracted her from arguing her point until she had flagged down a cab. Their arguement had really begun at his claim to defend her honour with Alice pointing out that she would be much better to defend her own honour. Especially when his idea of punching another man likely resulted in concussions and broken jaws. Her way of doing things saved them from that and let her feel better about being grabbed by a sleazy pool shark.

After a solid of 14 minutes of sulking on the opposite end of the couch, Hatter started to give her clipped answers to her attempts of conversation as she watched, of all things, a science channel talking about the development of the Great Barrier Reef. It was fifteen minutes when he caught her glancing at him from the corner of his eye, fifteen and one half when he pulled his favourite green fedora over his one eye, making a show of it. It was sixteen minutes when Alice began to get annoyed that he could so easily ignore her attempts at compromise.

Sixteen and a half passed before he suddenly launched himself across the cushions and yanked her underneath him, his mouth hard and hot on hers as she squeaked in surprise. His fedora brim banged into her forehead while he put an arm over her head and slipped between her legs to brace himself. Deciding that playing the furious girlfriend wasn't likely to work, Alice pulled the hat from his head and pushed her hands through his hair as she kissed him back. He slipped a hand down to her leg and pulled it over his hip, the heat already escalating between them.

It lasted for ten intoxicating minutes before Hatter pulled back, going back to his side of the couch as he tried to recover his breathing. Alice pulled herself up and smoothed at her hair, confused by this sudden change and trying to slow her heart down. Her mother wasn't due back for a good hour or so and Hatter, wary of her mother's good graces, was well aware of it. He was punctual to be on his way out when her mother was coming in the door, quick to make the politest conversation. He wasn't afraid of her, he explained to Alice, just wanted to make sure nothing interfered with his time with his favourite Oyster. Especially a protective mother.

Alice stared at him as he put his fedora back on his head and lifted his feet onto her coffee table, ignoring the fact that she had scolded him already for it. He seemed to be introverting again, something that he did rather well when he was trying to think something over. Despite that rather frequent habit of 'gobbing' as he called it, Hatter could go a little too quiet some times. Clearly avoiding the one thing she wanted to talk about.

18 real dates in rapid succession, the other days of seeing one another more casually but with no less intensity. Each time they had kissed they had grown hungrier and their desire harder to ignore. But when Alice had tried to further it, one time getting her fingers to his belt, he had pulled away with no explanation. To ask him for one resulted in a long rant that told her nothing at all really.

Didn't he want her still?

Alice chewed on her lower lip as she stared at Hatter, who was resolving again not to look at her. She picked up her battered copy of North and South, the familiar old story nothing but a blur of black type as she tried to work her thoughts around her problems. Her old insecurities were flaring up but he hadn't really been avoiding her, just avoid that idea that sex should come naturally. Despite her past history of waiting with her boyfriends, Alice had wanted him more desperately than any other man she had known. Likely would have had him in her living room that day if her mother hadn't been there. She knew he wanted her, could feel it, but Hatter seemed almost...

"I need to to back to Wonderland for a few days," Hatter said suddenly and she dropped the book to the floor.

"Sorry! But...what?" Alice asked as she bent and grabbed the book. Hatter grunted something and turned his head to see her bending the old book back and forth nervously.

"Just need to check on the shop. I'm still running it there, you know," Hatter said as he leaned forward and tugged on the brim of his cap.

"Oh. I thought that you were leaving," Alice said, unable to help the childish tone in her voice. It was a reflex to think that he was just looking to leave her. Hatter, hearing the quietness in her voice, turned on the sofa and took the book from her hands and tossed it carelessly onto the table. Alice opened her mouth to protest the action but he pressed two fingers over her lips.

"Furthest thing from it, luv. I'd back in a few Earth days...maybe only a few hours," he said, smiling at her. Deeply relieved, Alice smiled at him, suddenly aware of how deeply she had fallen for him. She had had him for three weeks now, nearly completely to herself and to think of him being gone was almost painful. But then, she was in her twenties, a grown woman who should have no worries about being alone.

Hatter saw the way her thoughts were going yet he knew it had to be done until his life reached some odd order. He did have a good reason for going back after all. It was not as if Jack Heart had been thrilled about Hatter pursuing Alice through the Mirror but he had conceded that Hatter was a shrewd business man. The Tea Shop he had run had been the best and there were still citizens that depended on it to ease the drudgery of their lives. Alice knew that he was running the Tea Shop but he had led her to believe that he was a silent partner.

Hatter never told Alice that he was in constant contact with Jack's Suits and arranged for the importation of more exotic things, the first being real Earth Teas that he tried. Oh, she had noticed that his borrowed apartment was chock full of every tea imaginable but she had thought it was his obsession. Well...that was true but he had taken to blending them, finding new flavours that created sensational tastes when combined with the natural Wonderland Teas. The citizens had been addicted to the Emotions and harmless tea was another, safer route to detox them from their addictions. He had begun to use the Tea Shop to trade with the Heart Royalty in exchange for the currency in her world and it had been successful. But he knew Dormie, knew his other mates and knew that it could all just crumble right down. He already had his suspicions that perhaps the teas were going too well, that he and Jack had simply found another addiction for the Wonderland citizens, and that was just not sitting quite right.\\.

What he was not looking forward to was when Alice found out what he had been really doing. He had been meaning to tell her, really he had, but between dodging her mother and trying to be a gentleman she could respect by not simply throwing her up against a wall and letting lust rule his head, Hatter was stymied.

"Okay," she said, interrupting his thoughts. Alice started to pick up her book and Hatter took it from her, tipping his head on the side. His eyes darted nervously down and then up.

"So I was thinking...that...you should come with me. Claim its a vacation. Visit Charlie and the Kingdom if you want," Hatter paused, his mouth turning to a sneer, "even His Royal Interruptiness."

"That's not a word and Jack would likely be nicer to you if you acted nicer to him," Alice pointed out. Hatter rolled his eyes at the argument he had heard a few times already.

"He loved you, Alice. Let's not forget that I stole his effects and bribed his technicians to get through the mirror. He likely won't ever forgive me for coming here after you since he wanted you for himself," Hatter pointed out.

"I guess I can take a few hours or days. I'll just have to orga..."

"Wonderful!" Hatter bounced up onto his feet and pulled her up, twirling her about in an odd waltzing maneuver. "Leave it to you to call your work and mom. I need to get my coat."

"Now?" Alice asked, bewildered at his excitement.

"Why not? The mapped out time for the Suits travelling in and out of the Looking Glass to import some of the more exotic things is about now. I can catch one of them around the larger stores getting goods for his Highliness likely." This was perfect, he thought to himself, if he could let Alice see the good this was doing, perhaps his not telling her would not seem so large an issue.

"Good point," she decided, suddenly caught up in his excitement. She grinned at him as he whirled her around again and danced her about to her front door.

"This, my Alice, is going to be a wonderful...madcap, brilliant escapade now," he said before lowering his head. Alice leaned up into him and he kissed her, the kiss beginning as playful and quickly deepening. Unready for it, Alice moaned as his fingers brushed the side of her breast and Hatter stumbled into her, pressing her against the door so that it made an odd thump. He groaned into her mouth as her hands dug into his hair and she lifted up against him, one leg lifting against his.

Hatter broke the kiss and panted against her cheek. "I need to go."

"Do you?" Alice whispered as she stared up at him and licked her lips. He made an odd noise in his throat as she pressed a quick kiss against his lips.

"I do...I do," he repeated, more to convince himself rather than her as she placed small pecks onto his lips and rubbed against him just so. "Else..."

"All right," Alice answered, suddenly pulling away from him as she opened the door and let him out. "Give me about three hours and I'll meet you at the mirror then. Mom will be surprised but I can think of something revolving around surprise romantic vacation."

The door was closed on his dazed face before Hatter could even really think. He stared at the door before promptly slumping against it and groaning. Living in this world had its frustrations and unfortunately, there was no finding a 'Satisfaction' Tea to help with them.

 

  


	2. A Knave and A Technician

Hatter was used to all kinds of the ridiculous. Considering that his family motto involved ravens and that his favourite tea as a child was bread-butterfly honey tea, he thought he did rather well in handling it.

His world was rather backwards in comparison to Alice's. Granted, her world was more than just a little ridiculous to him, so it made it little bother that when they went through the mirror that he saw swirling clouds, clocks, tea sets and fans. It did not even effect him when he saw doorknobs bickering back and forth. He was able to keep his head, his breath, and his sense of balance from the moment he stepped through to the moment he came flying out of the mirror into the Wonderland location.

A moment of orientation, of shaking his head and recovering his hat as it flew out from the mirror as well, and then Hatter was stretching out his arms. He enjoyed Alice's world but this was a welcome scent of rain and grass. "Ah! Breathe it in, luv!" he declared as he stretched his arms above his head and twisted his spine about. It cracked and he groaned at it, clenching the small of his back.

Behind him, Alice promptly began to dry-heave as her stomach clamped up and fell to her knees. Her coat she had been carrying flew out finally and landed behind her, Hatter retrieving it before she could damage it. The Looking Glass technician, a pasty man who wore all white and had only just before had been occupying himself by building a paper hat, sprang to his feet with his clipboard.

He had been waiting for a pair of Suits that his schedule called Eight and Nine, and now he stared wide-eyed at these intruders. One clearly an Oyster with her glowing pale skin and wide blue eyes, the other...something else, a man from Wonderland. The Wonderlander quickly went to the side of the Oyster and rubbed at her back. All the time, the technician wondered how these things kept happening on his shift. First the light show and then two people who were clearly not Suits. Reaching over, he discreetly grabbed his flashlight to check the woman over for any sign of weapons.

"Easy easy easy," Hatter murmured as Alice shuddered in his arms.

"I...hate...that...thing," she whispered. "Every story you read says it is so easy, just a simple fall."

"Well, that's why stories ain't the best to listen to," Hatter pointed out and she let him pull her to her feet. He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You took it better this time, that's somethin' yeah?"

Alice could only glare at him, seeing how easily he had readjusted. Hatter gave her a smile and held out her coat for her.

The technician flicked the light on and quickly passed it over Alice as she lifted her arm for the coat. The light touched the curve of her stomach showing from where her shirt had ridden up and the left side of her neck. The sound of sizzling began and Alice and Hatter both jerked out of their little world. Hatter whirled on the technician, grabbing him by his lab coat.

"Lay off!" he snapped and the man dropped the light quickly as Hatter glared at him. Alice swallowed, taking in the Looking Glass room quickly. It had changed slightly, the ground carpeted with grass and flowers with the walls painted a bland grey.

"I'm sorry!" the technician managed as Hatter shoved him away. "But the King told us that this room was supposed to be highly classified. This is my shift, I...I..."

"Do you not know who we are?" Hatter asked incredulously. The technician swallowed and shook his head." I'm Hatter. The Hatter, oh yeah. Best believe it. Famous Kingdoms over and this is The Alice, an Alice of Legend! Just in case you'd like to write that down on your board!"

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Sir...I'm sorry but...the King..."

"Where is he anyway?" Alice asked finally and the technician jumped again, twitching his nose as he did so.

"His Majesty was due for an appointment here a few hours ago but he has been delayed," he explained. Hatter turned to look at Alice and blinked, staring at her. She continued to gently ask the technician a few questions about where they were but Hatter heard none of it. The light the technician had shone was clearly one of the old variety, causing the green tattooing on Alice's pale skin. An odd tracing of wings flared along her hip while another tattoo, tiny in comparison, of a gryphon lingered on her throat. Hatter let his eyes trail over the rest of her, ignoring the simplicity of her blue blouse and black trousers, and had to admit that the tattooing was becoming. Very becoming...

"Hatter!" Alice said, her voice loud and he realized that he had been staring at her and not hearing a word she said. A flaw, he had learned, that Oyster women took very very seriously.

"Right then...off to find His Majesty but," he paused and stepped close to Alice. She leaned into him unconsciously. "You've gotten marked."

She whipped her head down to stare at her stomach, lifting the shirt just enough to see where the light had caught her. Hatter gave her a weak grin.

"Sorry."

To her credit, Alice took a deep breath and counted to ten before responding. Looking at the technician, she managed an icy smile. "Down the hall and out to the double doors on the left?"

"Exactly!" the technician exclaimed, more happy to be rid of them. Alice slipped her hand into Hatter's and led him off, her irritation clear in the way she nearly ripped the door off it's hinge.

"Were you listening to him? Jack hid this mirror far away from the palace for some stupid reason and now I'm marked up like some ornament," Alice snapped as they started down a grass carpeted hall. Hatter glanced over at her, wisely not speaking. "I feel like some biker chick gone horribly wrong. I should have just let him shine the light all over my face."

Hatter stopped and pulled her into his arms quickly.

"I quite like you decorated...it's like icing," he stated as he grinned devilishly down at her. Alice arched a brow at him as he cupped her cheek.

"Icing."

"On a very delicious," he slid his fingers down her neck the curve of her breast, "creamy, creamy cake."

She choked on her words as he continued to trace her skin with his fingers. Only Hatter could make such a cheesy line seem so utterly sex-charged and Alice sank her teeth into her lower lip as he looked up from watching his hand. Hatter met her eyes before his own dropped to where she was abusing her lip.

Something he thought he could do in a much kinder and much much more thorough way.

"What in the name of Wonderland are you two doing here?" Jack's voice immediately cut through the spell and Alice jumped away from Hatter's finger like a child caught stealing a cookie. Hatter, on the other hand, calculated the number of times he could slam his right fist into Jack's head before he would kill him. He only reasoned that one punch would likely do that overly pretty face right in.

"Jack! It's so good to see you," Alice said as she moved to where Jack was standing in the hall flanked by another silent man. She hugged the King of Wonderland tightly, Hatter discreetly looking away as he tried Alice's habit of counting to ten to control his temper.

"Blimey...works," he muttered as his tension ebbed just enough that he no longer felt ready to kill Jack. Just maim him...just a little.

"Alice, it's been too long. Six months too long really," Jack offered as he smiled down at her before letting her go completely. He looked at where Hatter stood, still seeing the con artist. Granted, Hatter never dressed too far out of part; black cabby cap, paisley blue shirt, black leather jacket and navy trousers...typical con wear in Wonderland. Flamboyant and distasteful in Jack's eyes.

" 'ello Jackie," Hatter sniped at the King, seeing Jack bristle.

"Well, if it isn't Hatter. I could have you arrested on the spot you know," Jack snarled and Alice retreated by Hatter to link her arm through his right one to contain him. The man standing beside Jack rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"You won't. I'm a valuable business man you know," Hatter answered smugly. He nodded at the tall, incredibly pale man standing at Jack's elbow. "Who's he?"

"The Knave of Hearts, Mr. Hatter," the man answered, his voice completely monotone and bored. "The King's second, as it were."

"Oh great. The first was bad enough," Hatter muttered and Alice gave his arm a warning squeeze.

"Hatter came back to look in on the Tea Shop and I elected to come back with him," she said with a smile. Jack tipped his head on the side.

"Oh, so he told you about his grand schemes then?" he asked, innocently enough but Hatter knew that it was deliberate. At least, to him it sounded deliberate. When it came to Jack, Hatter preferred to let his annoyance and jealousy of the King to rule his head.

"Schemes?" Alice parroted. She turned slowly on her heel to stare at Hatter. He blushed scarlet, reaching up and itching at the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I was meaning to mention it. I've been importing teas here from your world but before I send them I mix them with Wonderland traditional teas. It's big here, helps work out those addictions Wonderlanders have to Emotions," he offered, figuring that the bare bones version would get him in far less trouble than the full on truth. He and Jack both watched Alice as she absorbed the information. Her eyes flashed with irritation at Hatter and Jack surprisingly stepped forward to help the younger man.

"Hatter found the solution for me while in your world and offered it as a way of repaying his debt for going to you. It has been helping thousands," Jack said and Hatter shot him a confused look. The expression on Jack's face was still of a man who loved Alice.

Alice ignored the looks and sighed. "Okay."

Hatter sighed in relief and she pinched his arm.

"You ever lie about that again and I swear that I will show you a few moves that will leave you unable to ever have children," she threatened and Hatter's eyes went wide.

"Right on. Makes sense. Behave me'self," he agreed meekly.

For the first time, Alice turned and really looked at Jack. He seemed...exhausted and more than a little troubled. His handsome face was almost grey and wane, his hair cropped very short while his clothing was rumpled. He looked less dignified.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him and he jumped. The Knave stepped forward beside him and smiled winningly down at her, a smile that made Alice all the more suspicious. Hatter tried it on her once and it earned him a night of questions.

"His Majesty is about to wed Amelia the Duchess. Naturally, ruling the Kingdom and such responsibilities have weighed just as heavily," he said.

"I'm fine, Alice. Just a bit tired," Jack put in. "Things have been bumpy since you left. Getting an entire population of the city off of Emotions is difficult to say the least."

Alice nodded. "I can see that. But the mirror..."

"I moved it for its safety. I was worried that once the citizens were experiencing withdrawal that they may take matters into their own hands," Jack explained and Hatter snorted.

"Yeah, a thinkin' population. Wouldn't want them to get ideas, eh?" he asked and Jack's lips went into a thin line.

"Quite."

"So, we should be gettin' to our work then. Nice to see you and meet you, off we go," Hatter said quickly, pulling on Alice's hand as they headed for the doors. Jack didn't move to stop them, only turning to watch. Alice looked over her shoulder, still worried that something else may be the matter. Hatter whirled her out the door and reached behind himself to close it.

Alice blindly kept moving and skittered to a halt just at the edge of the ledging. She squeaked in fear and Hatter reached her in time to keep her from falling, his arm curled around her waist.

"You all right?" he asked in her ear and Alice sucked in a breath.

"I think so." She let her breath go slowly and shivered. Glancing around, Alice could see that they were very, very high up on the ledge of a steel building. The buildings nearby were dusted with snow and ice. "I didn't think Wonderland would have winter."

"We don't in the city," Hatter answered. His brow furrowed as he took in the sight while pulling Alice back to the safety of the wall. The wind was biting and he was thankful of his coat, thankful that Alice had had the foresight to wear a jacket. Even an unbecoming one that would never match the lush velvet she had once worn. His eyes swept over end of the ledge and he leaned over. The water far far below was frozen solid. Everything seemed so...cold. Even for Wonderland. But there was still grass growing on the ledges, oddly enough.

"Hatter? Are you okay?" Alice asked as she stared at him. He had gone so serious and quiet, as if the sight before them had frightened him.

"Mm? Yeah...let's just make our way to the Shop. Sure I can get some information there," he told her. The snow was already dusting the brim of his hat and shoulders and he shook himself free of it. "Ready?"

He waggled his fingers at her and Alice grasped his hand again, focussing on his warm smile and easy swagger rather than the dizzying heights far below them.

* * *

The Knave stared at the King, whose obvious distress became more evident as they stood in the hallway. Jack seemed to be agitated by Alice and Hatter, more so by their arrival than by their obvious closeness.

"Sire? Perhaps you could have told them. They did help the last time," he pointed out. Jack shook his head, lifting his hands to blow on his still chilled fingers.

"No, Knave. This is something that I will triumph over and I will not endanger Alice," Jack answered. The Knave shrugged.

"The Hatter though. This is partially due to him, you know." The Knave tipped his head on the side. "He doesn't look a bit like his family and the madness isn't there. He'd be worthwhile to have as an ally."

"Hatter? An ally? He'd likely con us out of something before he ever helped us," Jack snapped. It was unfair, he knew it deep within his mind, but he could not get over his bias when it came to Hatter. He both admired the younger man and in a strange way feared him. "The madness is possible. I don't like to chance anything when it comes to men like him. Let's just hope that Hatter is not like the others before him."


	3. Pinching the Dormouse

Alice decided, as Hatter held open the door for her to his Tea Shop, that having a guide around the city certainly helped. Hatter had been disorientated for only a few seconds before he was off expounding on some wild rants and rhyming about the need for better structuring and the possibility of more bridges. He had led her down twists and turns with the same confidence he always had, skipping over the narrower ledges and simply trusting her to follow him. He told her about the different shops beyond his own, the weaving shop where silk flies created fabulous shirts, the gossip shop where gossips were traded by the Gnat family in the same way he traded his teas.

It all seemed so bizarre yet the way he spoke about it made it seem as if her world was the crazier one for not having those stores. The only thing he had been confused over was the dark red and glowing white squares painted all over the sides of the buildings in odd checker fashions. Hatter had touched the walls, as had Alice, but she had recoiled instantly at the sticky feel of the walls. Hatter was only perplexed for a moment before he had taken her hand once more and led her off to his Shop.

The Tea Shop was, for lack of a better word, pounding. There was loud, swanky music and people trying hard to talk over one another. Alice tipped her head on the side as Hatter led her into the crowds cramped around the tables.

"So...this is what a normal Tea Shop looks like here?" Alice asked as she turned around in the large shop. This time though there were more servers darting back and forth. "Hasn't changed that much."

Hatter shrugged, signing off on a clipboard a redheaded server gave him. "Thanks, Rose."

It really hadn't. There was still the frantic customers who had transferred their addictions to Emotions to the variety of teas that Hatter imported from all about. The stock market ticker still rolled about, there was even Dormie sitting...well...sleeping at the large desk. The shop was too hot from the teas and the customers inside, Alice stripping her coat off and wrapping it around her middle. Hatter seemed not to notice any of it, nodding to the other servers that fluttered by him holding trays laden with drinks and food.

"When you really look at it, this will be wonderfully quick, luv. Just have to make sure that the shop is profitable, in good order, then we can go see old mad as frogs Charlie if you like," Hatter shouted over his shoulder. A server passing him had to almost twirl out of his way but he grasped the girl's elbow and stopped her. Alice, still taking in the people who looked like they were at a 1920's speakeasy, noticed that the girl's tasseled dress shivered the moment Hatter grasped her elbow.

"Easy, Daffodil. Everything set up in the back?" he asked and the blonde girl twittered. She, like some of the others, turned large eyes on him and smiled prettily. She was all business though, quickly rattling off names and amounts that made Alice blink as she tried to follow. Hatter and the server though were discussing the teas, the girl's knowledge of the customers quick. Daffodil, like the rest of his servers, knew what they were low on and what sold.

Alice elected to turn and watch the ticker marquee instead.

"Six inches and eight quarters for a pint of lemon-grass!" a high nasally voice shouted near her ear. "What a scandal!"

Wincing as her ears rang, Alice spun to tell the man to get lost. He was tall and thin, skin having an oily sheen as if he was now sweating the very tea he drank. His black eyes widened behind his large round spectacles but only for a moment before they narrowed and he stepped closer. His eyes dropped to her exposed neck and the gryphon tattoo. His fingers twitched at his side and she stiffened defensively.

"You're an Oyster you are," the man whispered, as if worried that someone else might hear and steal her.

"So what if I am?" Alice answered in irritation as he got a bit further into her personal space. Just a few more steps and he'd be flat on his back with her staring down at him, she thought.

"A shame we couldn't get some emotions off your kind still," the thin man grumbled as he reached out to touch her. Alice twisted his hand away from her and shoved hard enough for him to stagger backward but he was back at her instantly, the odd gleam in his eye matching the sudden menace in the hand reaching for her neck. "I miss the rush, I admit. You seem like the sort that would be full of Passion and that was my favourite."

A firm right hand came down on his arm before he laid a finger on her and whipped him about.

"Hands off, Bill. Otherwise your jaw will need to be fixed again," Hatter said lowly. Alice stared at him incredulously, having only seen glimpses of this Hatter before and never this intense. This was the man who had ruthlessly knocked a Suit unconscious, who had argued with her on the beach, who had shot the Walrus without hesitation and who would have cut the ring from the Queen's finger without qualm. She stepped beside him in front of the server and looked him over. Hatter did not even glance at her, his eyes boring into the man's and somehow seeming as if he was the most dangerous man in the room.

Her first thought was that it was incredibly sexy. Her second thought was that she could take care of herself. The first thought was most definitely the one that she enjoyed more.

"Hatter! Didn't know you was back! Travellin' with Oysters now are ye?" Bill demanded nervously, his once elegant voice slipping into a variation of Hatter's accent. He nodded at Alice's marking and she put a hand to it self-consciously. "Oysters don't make good pets."

"She's my girl and she can handle herself. Believe me, there are some Suits probably having nightmares still. But I think I would get more enjoyment pounding sense into your slimy face than she would. Let off and go drink till your stomach bursts," Hatter warned, the fingers of his right hand curling into a fist. Bill shrugged, still eyeing her but now wary of the younger man's threat.

"I'll trade you some real fine preserves for her," he offered and Hatter rolled his eyes.

"Ha! At any time, Bill, she's worth a whole lo' more than even the Stone of Wonderland. So sod off," Hatter answered. Looking over at Daffodil, he held up two fingers. "See this gent gets his lemongrass on the house, will ye? Don't want him needing any...medical recovery for him doing something stupid."

Daffodil linked her arm through Bill's and tugged him away, the thin man shooting a glare over his shoulder at Hatter and Alice as he went.

Alice let out a breath. "He doesn't like you."

"Who? Me? Nah," Hatter agreed as he turned and rubbed at her arm affectionately. He took her hand and began to lead her through the dense crowd again. "Bill was once a snitch for the White Rabbit. Used to hold it over all of our heads, bastard he is. Now that he can't get any real favours from them, he's had to be just a normal Wonderlander."

"Hates it then?" Alice asked as Hatter shoved around a jovial party of young men and women all waving flags and crowing about the upcoming match between the Lion and the Unicorn croquet teams.

"Really does. He was a frequent customer at me shop though, loved his Pleasure Teas. Ain't easy, coming off addictions like that now. For any of us," Hatter told her as they came near Dormie's desk.

"What are you addicted to then?" Alice asked him absentmindedly and he stopped short, turning around on his heel directly. She bumped into him and had to step back before looking up at him. Hatter tilted his head on the side and his eyes searched her face intently.

"I thought it was obvious."

He turned around before he could see how red she blushed.

"Dormie," Hatter greeted the small creature huddled behind the desk. Dormie simply continued to snore and the young man grumbled as he leaned across the desk. He grabbed Dormie's considerable length of nose and twisted hard to the right.

"Ah! Diamonds! I swear my hands were kept in my pockets all the time! Sorry, girls, I didn't mean to grab!" Dormie shrieked as the pain jolted him awake. Alice raised an eyebrow as she watched the little thing finally come to his senses. Once he saw Hatter though, Dormie promptly shrieked again and pressed far back into his round chair. "Hatter! Boss! What...what are you doing here?"

"Surprise inspection of a sort, Dormie. How're things? Profitable?" Hatter asked casually as he reached across the desk again. Dormie cringed, waiting for another twist of his nose, but Hatter simply picked up a chart and looked it over.

"Super, boss, course it is. Why wouldn't it be? All treacle in a well and what have you!" Dormie squeaked out. "Is that a new hat?"

Hatter stopped looking at the chart and looked at Dormie once more, his eyes narrowed. Alice found the exchange rather fascinating. She was starting to realise that despite Hatter's casual and rather devil-may-care-rogue impression he was likely a very strict manager. He leaned over the desk, replaced the chart and quickly confiscated a small pot.

"Treacle, Dormie? As I recall, we've had a discussion 'bout this," Hatter commented and Dormie began to gesture wildly.

"I just take a spoonful every hour at eight minutes seventeen seconds. You know how this job works me up," Dormie answered as he made to snatch the pot back. Hatter leaned back enough to keep it out of reach.

"You ain't to be on it at all. Explains why you've been sleepin' even more, if Rose and Daffodil tell me the truth. Crashin' from the high. I find any more here, you'll be going off to the Hospital of Dreams and eating cold toast and beans. Off it and that's the final word," he ordered. Dormie muttered under his breath. He finally noticed Alice standing there, smirking at their exchange, and he went an odd shade of puce.

"What are you smilin' at, Oyster? If you can't be civil then you'd best be drinking tea by yourself and with earplugs in your ears," Dormie chided. "Would be muchness better than standing there grinning like some Joker."

"Muchness? That isn't even a word," Alice protested and even Hatter looked at her.

"Why not?" he asked and she gave him a look. He smiled mockingly at her before looking at Dormie. "My second office in order?"

"Sure thing, boss. Alls wells that ends in wells," Dormie answered and they both noticed how his eyes became heavy lidded. Alice rolled her eyes while Hatter took her arm again and pulled her to the right.

"Come on. I'm usually lucky if Dormie stays awake that long. If he wasn't an old family friend and ridiculously clever with numbers, I'd likely just demote him to be a doorstop," Hatter told her as they passed into a corridor. It was narrow, squeezing them together but Alice smiled, still abit confused.

"He's addicted to..."

"Treacle. I can't explain it, never want to know why. Sometimes I replaced it with jam, keeps him good for a few weeks until he figures it out," Hatter explained. He seemed disturbed by Dormie's addiction and Alice took his hand to stop him. The floor had gone from hardwood to soft grass and her boot heels sunk into the dirt, causing her to stick.

"So...maybe you should be coming back more frequently?" she asked, wary of his answer. Hatter let her use his hand to balance as she pulled herself free of the dirt and grass.

"I only really want to come back here if you come with me," he answered. "Much more fun that way, yeah?" He flashed her a grin but she saw that he wasn't quite being truthful with her. Before she could press it, he was leading her down the hall, tapping on the walls as he went. There was sudden echo to one of his taps and he grinned wildly.

"Ah! Here we are. Thought I should show you my actual office and not the front one I use. Mind the first step in," he said as he pushed on the wall and she watched as it slid loose and swung inward. She stared at Hatter, her blue eyes cautious. She knew what Wonderland was like and Hatter had far too much mischief in his eyes for her liking. All the same, she grinned and went through first.

Alice promptly tripped into the darkness of the room and only just managed to catch herself from going to her knees. The door slammed behind her, plunging the room into darkness.

"Right...lights..." Hatter pushed up behind her, his warm body steadying her and she trembled self-consciously at the feel of him. "Where is that..."

He left her and she heard him stumbling about the dark room, banging into tables by the sounds of things and cursing immediately. Alice waited, straining to see in the darkness as Hatter continued to clamber about. Just after yet another crash, the lights flicked on, muted and tinged in different colours so that she felt like her eyes had been dipped into a rainbow.

"Sorry about that, luv," Hatter said and she shook her head before looking around. It was an office similar to what she had seen before, set to rights and reordered abit differently. There was a longer table set up near the windows and hidden from the light, a glass desk still piled neatly with papers and the quick closet closed up at its side. Further to the side was a tiny kitchenette with an array of pots and pans hanging down from the ceiling, a claw-foot tub set to a more secluded corner near another door.

"Shower in the open?" she asked teasingly as she took a slow lap of the room, leaving her coat on one of his round chairs. Hatter leaned up against his desk, grinning lecherously.

"Sometimes," he answered but he then shrugged. "I like to read my papers in the tub, don't you?"

"Can't say I like long baths. Always felt like I was wasting more time in," Alice began before shutting her mouth. She had spent so much time looking for her father that realizing how much time she had not taken for herself still stung. Now that he was gone and she was starting to accept it, she would have to learn to try.

Hatter did not comment, merely shrugged and pulled his hat off . He twirled it back onto the coat rack and retrieved another from his closet, this time a dark grey fedora that slanted over his eyes devilishly. "So, what do you think of my space?"

"It..." She had reached the bed near the tub and sat down. Its plain black cotton sheets were thrown off by a green striped shirt thrown haphazard onto it. "Suits you. Especially the writings."

Alice nodded at the large chalkboard that she could just make out in the shadowed left hand side of the room. It was filled with scrawled recipes, numbers adding to vague amounts and line drawings of the city. Hatter had noted times and dates with abbreviations but there was no clue as to what his code was.

"Ah well, you might make me blush," Hatter answered jokingly as he watched her. Alice was still taking in the room and he took the moment to stare at her. He hadn't realised how scrumptious she looked until she was in his world, in his surroundings. The fact that she was an Oyster made her seem more exotic and fitting to his rooms, the fact that she was Alice made the rooms seem more like home than they ever had before.

This had been a better idea than he had first thought.

"So. What are you doing here, exactly? Paperwork and inspection?" Alice asked curiously and Hatter smiled slowly. He stood and sauntered over to her, looking like a suave 1930's gangster if not for the leather jacket. It almost seemed rather silly but she managed not to laugh. Alice tossed her long hair over a shoulder and stared up at him as he came to a stop just at her knees.

"Something like that. But right now, I am going to introduce you to a custom that we really should have indulged in from the first time we met," Hatter told her, his voice dropping seductively and she swallowed noisily at the look in his eyes. "I want you out of those jeans."

Alice's blue eyes widened as far as they could and his grin widened.

"I want you in a dress. Time to celebrate with a tea party, luv."

Alice felt almost suffocated with the disappointment that weighed down on her shoulders as Hatter spun off to his closet again. He was scrounging through the racks, muttering to himself, and completely ignorant of the fact that Alice was glaring at the back of his head.

"So much for that one," she whispered under her breath before brightening up and smiling at him. Hatter wisely was a bit wary of the brightness of her smile and he kept his distance further than before. Like a peace offering he held out a dark blue dress, silver beads trimming the bodice and hem and when she touched it she could feel the fine silk and chiffon. It was beautiful and she bit into her lower lip nervously. "Hatter..."

"Had one of the servers grab me it from the shop's storage. Used to be when the Diamonds were running a clothing shop but when they went out to the Casino, the Tea Shop ended up being given a load of clothing. Most of it I took to the Great Library but some things I kept ," he explained sheepishly.

"For you?" Alice joked and he scoffed.

"I am a master of disguise you know," he retorted and Alice gave him a look that clearly told him what she thought of that. The image of Hatter in a wig and dress was too hilarious and she chuckled at the thought of it. "All right. I just...kept it. Not sure why." Hatter's eyes met hers. "Now I'm glad I did."

"Hatter, I can't..." Alice started and he waved his hand.

"Just try it on, you don't like it you return it. But as this is a tea party, I would prefer it for both of us to be dressed out of such casual wear," Hatter pointed out and Alice sighed, taking the dress from him. He grinned like a fool. "Can I watch?"

"No, Hatter," Alice answered but was unable to keep the smile from creeping up on her face. He smiled back as she stood and went into his bathroom, waiting for the door to click shut before he ran like a mad fool for his own closet, throwing his hat onto the desk. He grabbed a pair of plain grey trousers and deep green paisley silk shirt and changed as if his life depended on it. His weeks with Alice had taught him that, unlike some women he had known, she was incredibly punctual. Hatter was a bit careless, promptly knocking over a lamp and several chairs as he hopped ridiculously on one foot as he tried to pull his trousers on over his boots.

He was just shrugging on a dark grey cord jacket when he heard the doorknob start to turn. Desperate, Hatter tossed his fedora in the air and scuttled over to his closet. He cringed as he stuffed his old clothing into the top shelf, promising himself that he'd clean up later, before he sprinted back to his place by the desk. Just as Alice opened the door the fedora fell exactly into place on his head.

"What took you so long?" Hatter joked before Alice came into view. She had pulled her hair back into a high chignon, something Hatter was never fond of but it leant an elegant air to her now. The dress fit her well Hatter decided as he took in the curve of her hip and the way the dress revealed as much as it concealed. Clearing his throat, he dropped his eyes, seeing the way her favourite boots rather stuck out more than they should.

"Just don't have the right shoes," Alice offered as she tugged on one of the sleeves. It hung halfway down her arm, draping nicely but she kept pulling self-consciously on it. The bodice was a touch too tight and the open back of it made her feel more exposed than she liked. Hatter stared at her as she bent her head to check the lines of the dress, noticing how fragile her neck seemed.

Shaking himself, he realised she had asked him something. "Wha...yeah?"

"I asked if we had far to walk?" Alice asked, her eyes sweeping over him. "Can't say I've ever gone on a date in Wonderland before."

Hatter gave her a look. "What do you call that ride on the flamingo?"

"Rather dangerous considering how hard we crashed into the lake," Alice retorted and he smiled.

"I enjoyed it. You grabbed on quite tightly though I could have done with your hands being about four inches lower," Hatter said and she smacked his arm playfully. "Seriously though, we don't have far to go. Ready?"

He took hold of her hands and Alice gave him a confused look as he side stepped them over. Following his lead, they ended up moving twenty steps sideways and by the time they had finished Hatter had bumped into the shadows. Waving his hand about, Hatter grinned at her and flicked on a lamp in the middle of the table. It triggered two more lights at either side of the long table and the other lights in his 'space' immediately dimmed down so that the table took all the focus.

"When dining in Wonderland, I prefer to stay in," Hatter said as he stepped around her, his body brushing hers. Alice took in the table, the rows and rows of teacups, tea pots whistling to themselves, a tray of bread and butter and pastries in the very middle.

"This is...impressive," Alice managed, bewildered by the sight of table and its contents. Few of the tea sets actually matched and the high chairs were mismatched as well. Hatter took a spot across from her and leaned on the back of one of the chairs.

"I figured to myself , 'Self, Alice never did get a proper tea last time, such a rush we were in, and now there's a time and place for everything.' The girls set things up for me the minute they got word we were comin'. Lovely flowers they are."

"Who else is coming?" Alice asked as she pulled out a chair for herself and took a seat. Hatter shrugged and suddenly stepped up onto the table, something she could imagine a proper tea room waiter screaming at. Hatter turned this way and that, checking things before leaping down into a chair beside her.

"No one, why?"

"Just curious," Alice said as she reached out and took a tea cup from the rows before her. Hatter followed suit, tapping a few pots as he did so.

"This one's done," he offered as he poured her cup first before serving himself. Never large on tea, Alice had become accustomed to Hatter's taste for it and she found herself enjoying it more these days. As he dropped six cubes of sugar into his, she nearly cringed but made do with pouring milk instead. No use in scolding Hatter about the sugar, he enjoyed it too much.

"So. Why so many tea cups? There is no way I am ever going to drink that much tea," Alice said and Hatter shrugged.

"Saves on washing up till I absolutely have to do it. If I get lucky, then Dormie can get conned into it," he told her as he took a sip and sighed with pleasure.

"But the tea pots?" she tried and he gestured to them all.

"Lemongrass, chiapia, pea tea, mint tea, Heart breakfast tea, Diamond lunch tea, Jabber spice tea," he recited off the top of his head as Alice took a sip of her tea. It tasted like mint tea to her and she watched as he prattled on and on and on about the teas in the pots. Watching the way his mouth moved to pronounce his syllables, Alice smiled and set her tea cup down, scooting close to him.

"There's a jelly tea, not terribly fond of it, I admit, a licorice tea and..." Turning his face in her hands, Alice pressed her lips onto his and kissed him. For such a chaste kiss, it seemed more sinful with his mouth and hers still piping hot from the tea. Breaking away, Alice flicked her tongue across her lips and met his dark eyes.

"My personal favourite. Hatter tea," she whispered before looking away to take her tea cup up again.

"Right," Hatter croaked, voice cracking as he stared at her. Suddenly, this tea party seemed like a very good idea and not at all like a mild tea party like he had planned.

 

 

 


	4. Seduction over Tea

Was it possible to be seduced over tea? It seemed a mockery over the tradition of a tea party to even consider such a thing. Surely no royalty or etiquette master would ever consider it decent.

Both Alice and Hatter were considering it a very real possibility as they chatted over a cup of lemon-grass tea. Hatter had insisted they try another seat, so that he could see her better while they talked. Not so much talked as tried to keep a matter of conversation to cover the underlying tension that was boiling between them.

"So...why tea?" Alice asked as she reached out to pour a second cup. Hatter waited for her to put the pot down before he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Better idea. Move down, need clean cups." He hauled her up, Alice's surprise working to his benefit as he jogged to the other end of the long table and plopped down in a chair. He pulled her down into the chair beside him. Alice stared at him in bewilderment while he poured a black thick tea into a pale violet tea cup and handed it to her.

Hatter took a healthy swig of the tea, making a face as he set it down. "I was never fond of black liquorice, to tell you the truth."

Neither was she, Alice decided quickly. It was as if someone had filled her mouth with the candy and she immediately swallowed it, setting the cup down as far from herself as she could.

"Tea's been in my family for years, Alice. Tea...definition of it that is, changes every generation or so. Could be a liqueur next time around. My Da, he was traditionalist and I acquired the taste for it," Hatter explained as he buttered a piece of scone. He popped into his mouth and chewed slowly, eyes on the table in front of him. Alice watched him and crossed her legs beneath the table as she picked at the edges of a berry tart. Her feet ached from the boots and his idea of moving down the table had made it worse. She winced before looking at him, seeing how closed up he seemed to have become.

"You don't talk about your family very much," she said. Hatter swallowed his bit of scone.

"You're right, I don't," he answered and Alice knew that there was finality in his voice. He had never spoken about his family and clearly had no intention of doing so.

For some reason, that stung her.

"Right," she whispered, leaning back in the ornate carved chair as she took in the room. It was pleasantly warm in the room and the tart settled in her stomach deliciously. She sighed, forgetting the tension and letting her head drop back.

A cool hand suddenly traced up her knee to where the skirt in the dress had split over her thigh and she jumped, nearly knocking over the tea cup as she grabbed hold of the table.

"Hatter!"

He shot her an innocent look, the sneaky right hand going to her wrist. "What? It's time to move down again!" This time he playfully whirled her about and sat her two seats down. "Should be mint tea this time. Get that taste of liquorice out of my mouth."

Alice stared, dumbfounded, as he poured the tea and handed her a cup. He took a sip and sighed with pleasure, leaning back into his new seat. Narrowing her eyes, she wisely twisted her legs away from him but leaned her shoulders to his, resting comfortably. She took a few sips of the tea, glad to be rid of the liquorice taste. Hatter smiled at her, still taking measured sips of his tea. Alice waited for his eyes to slip to the other side of the table before she straightened in her chair and pressed her mouth just below his ear, her tongue flicking out to trace his earlobe.

The warm contact made Hatter jerk in his seat and his head turned toward hers. Alice leant in as if to kiss him before she grinned and she pulled away, standing up. "I think I'd like to try that lemon-grass again," she declared and moved back to their first seat. Hatter gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Yeah...sure..." He sounded puzzled and quickly sipped at his tea again. Alice smirked and took her seat, her cup still half full. The tea had a wonderful bite to it, the lemon blending with the more earthy taste perfectly even when cold. Hatter was watching her from across the table, his eyes dark from beneath the brim of his fedora.

"Something wrong?" Alice asked as she met his eyes and he shook his head. "Time to move down?"

"Time to move...nah. You can stay right there. I like looking at you like that," Hatter answered and this time she did blush. He grinned, glad to get the upper hand once more as he debated the best way to keep the tea party going. Alice continued to sip at her cold tea, ignoring him on purpose this time as she noticed that absolutely none of the items on the table really matched. In fact, nothing in Hatter's rooms matched. The violet cup she had used before contrasted with this lime green paper thin antique and she frowned, trying to see something a bit similar.

So intent on distracting herself, Alice didn't realize Hatter had moved down until he was right beside her again with his one foot on the edge of her chair.

"Those boots have to go. They clearly do not work with this set up," he declared, leaning down and lifting her foot. Alice nearly toppled from her chair as he swivelled her around, setting her cup down on the table just in time. Hatter flashed her a grin and slipped her boot off for her, tossing it over his shoulder before grabbing her other foot and doing the same.

"I like those boots," Alice pointed out as he grasped her feet with his cold hands. It was better not to have them on her feet but she was in no way going to let him know that. Hatter shrugged.

"So do I, but they are not appropriate for a tea party, luv," he rumbled and Alice met his eyes. She blinked, biting into her lower lip out of reflex as he seemed to look her over from her toes to her head. His eyes settled on her mouth, something seeming to run through his head. Alice stared at him, confused as his eyes took on a darkness she had never really seen.

His hands suddenly jerked her legs forward and she came flying out of her chair to land on his lap, his hands cradling her hips while his mouth lifted to find hers. Alice moaned in her throat, stunned by the intensity of it as he forced her lips to part. He broke the kiss suddenly, head dropping back as he looked at her.

"I think the move down concept is about to get more literal," he joked and she rolled her eyes.

"Hatter...be quiet," she ordered. It was said simply enough but she knew that she had surprised him as she took his mouth with hers and moaned her desire in that breathy voice. She knocked his hat from his head and clutched hold of his cord jacket. He kissed her back, the silk and cord of his clothing sliding against hers seductively. He tasted like lemon and mint now, his mouth still warm from a recently sipped tea, but his hands were still cool as he swept them down the open back of her dress.

Alice took his one hand in hers and led it back around to her front. Hatter dropped his mouth to lip at the side of her neck. His tongue traced a fiery trail over the gryphon marking and Alice clenched her fingers tighter onto his hand. She clasped her hand over his, feeling his palm rub against her skin as it slipped beneath the bodice of her dress and she closed her eyes as he sat straighter on the chair. He lifted his mouth back up to hers and she heard a crash behind her as his hand swept nearest teacups, pots and trays to the floor. Alice clutched at his shoulders as he lifted her up and deposited her roughly on to the table, forcing her to lay on her back. His mouth dropped from hers to her collar as he untied the ribbon that held the bodice of her dress up, bringing it down as far as he could without tearing it. His lips opened and slid hotly over her breast, his teeth grating slightly against her nipple. Alice moaned and felt his head lift from her chest, the loss of contact making her open her eyes. He watched her with almost clinical interest for a moment until she lifted her head to brush against his lips with hers. Alice could feel his desire then almost radiating off of him and broke the kiss to try to get her breath back.

Hatter stared at her, struggling to understand why his head was spinning. Emotions like this were thousands of times stronger than any Lust tea he had sampled, not that he would admit to ever using them. His sense of taste and smell had never felt so overwhelmed, the light perfume she wore smelling of flowers and vanilla as intoxicating as the taste of it on her skin. Even the lemon taste in her mouth was wonderful and he was confused as to how he could take so much in without exploding with need.

So he simply surged downward and took her mouth hard with his. Alice whimpered against his mouth as his teeth snapped against her lips, forcing them open as he slid his tongue into her mouth. His own groan answered her as he yanked her hair back away from her face. Her neck exposed, Alice opened her eyes to stare blindly at the dimly lit ceiling as he bit gently into her neck, marking her the way the gryphon emblem did on the other side of her throat, feeling her swallow as he dragged his tongue as the pale column of her throat. He shifted on her, one knee going onto the table betweenhers before lowering his head further. His hand slipped up her dress again, fingers tracing the delicate skin of her hip and trailing between her legs. Her body jerked, her hips bucking to try to encourage his fingers to touch her as he groaned at the feel of her heat.

"We should move to the bed," Alice groaned in his ear and Hatter felt her shiver.

"Definitely...but this is good use for the table as well," he whispered as she bit into his earlobe before he slipped lower and dragged his tongue against the curve of her breast.

His eyes fluttered shut as he tasted her skin and let his other hand go to her leg; Hatter wondered how he had ever earned such a chance like this. He wondered how he had waited this long while his hand slid up her now exposed leg and shifted the silky skirt of her dress up further, moving closer against her as she clenched her legs about his hips. Alice clenched hard into his hair and cleared her throat before she moaned again, nails just brushing his scalp. Hatter shivered at the feel of it and trailed his mouth from her breast to her lips, unable to help but rock against her shifting body as the kiss deepened once more. Her one hand eased down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt so that her fingers felt like tiny rivers of heat across his skin. Her tongue darted into his mouth, distracting him from touching her so that his fingers fumbled and skidded across her thighs, his moan making her smile against his lips .

She cleared her throat harder this time and it gave Hatter pause for thought as he broke the kiss to stare down at her.

It was a dull realization that Alice's mouth had been occupied by his when the sound had come. She stared up at him in bewilderment, eyes half closed as she flicked her tongue out against her swollen lips. Her body still strained underneath his and he trembled at the feel of it.

"Don't stop," she whispered and he squeezed his eyes shut.

_No...oh by every God there was...please let me have been imagining that sound. For one slice of happiness to go uninterrupted..._

The throat clearing happened again and Hatter lowered his head, not to kiss Alice this time but to rest it on the table as he felt his heart nearly explode. Beside his ear, he heard Alice give a startled sound, her fingers loosening on his hair. Hatter lifted his head, his own mouth swollen and his eyes still a little wild, and he gave her a weak smile before his eyes hardened and his mouth became a straight line.

" 'ello Jack." Hatter leaned into Alice, desperate for his heart to reach a safe pace as he felt hers doing an equally frantic beat. She trembled and smiled at him, her eyes losing their glaze. Hatter shook his head and looked over his shoulder.

Behind him, the King of Wonderland had the decency to turn himself around and put his hands behind his back, his fingers twisting anxiously.

"How did you know it was me?" Jack asked and Hatter gave a nasty short laugh.

"Who else would it have been?"


	5. Opening Move of the King

 

The Duchess slid to her knees as she was shoved hard forward, the carpet beneath scraping her delicate skin. The room was blistering cold, the sweat on her skin slowly freezing and making her shiver. The haute couture fashions she enjoyed lent no warm to her svelte figure, ripped as they were, and she bent her head, her once perfect hair now hanging in ropey strands before her face. She stared at the white carpet, watching the drops of blood from her broken nose stain it. All hope she had once felt, the natural hope and no longer the artificial high of harvested potions, was drained from her and Amelia clenched her fingers into fists.

 _Oh, my love,_ she thought to herself. _Please tell me you escaped._..

There was a screech of a metal against bone and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying to every deity she knew. The Suits forced to kneel beside her were a pair of Aces, those once head of Jack's personal security. Spade and Club, she thought. They were both staring stoically ahead with no expression on their nearly identical faces. Behind them, the mangled red soldiers were growling and slathering as if they had no control over their mouths. They kept nudging at her back and she felt repelled by the smell of them. They had once been regular men, she knew, but there was nothing left to show of it, transformed into mome raths with green tusks jutting out from their pig-like faces. They delighted in pain and found her more than fun, squealing with delight when she flinched.

The pain of being struck was foreign to her and her head felt foggy, her lower lip and nose swollen from the blows. Still, she knew better than to scream.

It had all happened so fast, Jack's escape plan faltering even faster. He had known for some while of the threat of the old Royalty and had finally told her only weeks ago. They had had three months where he had played the engaged suitor but there had been coldness and distance growing between them as Amelia realized how unprepared he was to return her love. She had thought that her own determination to keep her distance would ease the ache for her but it hadn't. The Duchess had gone back to her adapted personality, the cold beauty who needed no one but he had touched her too deeply. It had become painful to be around him and the wedding she had once longed for became just a distant, unlikely future as another three months dragged by.

Now, when death seemed to draw close though, she loved him deeply enough to distract the coming darkness while the Knave did as she ordered and rescued his King against his will. Amelia could only pray that the legends were true and that Jack could rescue both her and the Kingdom.

"Ah, my dear Duchess," a deep voice said as a pair of matching red boots stopped before her, yanking her from her thoughts. A red mist swirled around the boots, just touching her fingertips and she felt them start to tingle. "You should not kneel to a King. You should be a Queen with men quailing at your feet."

Amelia, Duchess of the West Wonderland, shivered in fear. "I am no Queen. The King of Wonderland has yet to wed me."

"Such a shame. You are so very beautiful and so very worthy of being a Queen. I would know, being a King. I have had six." The voice chuckled as if in memory. "Of course, they all laid down at some time to make way for a stronger pawn."

"The King of Wonderland is Jack Fredrick Heart, not some vile creature such as you," she spat out and the deep voice gave a throaty chuckle.

"I, my dear, am the King of Wonderland as is my right. Not some insolent whelp who won the throne through deception and no true war. That is not true kingship. Your precious Jack is nothing but a boy playing at being a king," the voice answered, amused by her words. "It is why Wonderland needs me, its true King."

"You are no king! You are nothing but a memory that was to be erased, that should have bee permanently destroyed! Your reign ended, your brother took your place years before the Hearts gained power! You were no King of Wonderland!"

A hand, bony and thin, wrapped in her blonde hair and yanked hard up. Amelia screamed as pain tore through her scalp, tears in her eyes as she forced herself to look up. The man before her had pasty grey skin pulled tight against his skull, curly red hair hanging to his shoulders while his fiery red beard disguised a mouth set in cruel lines. It was his eyes that terrified the Duchess more than the the strength in his hands. Far more than the Queen of Hearts, he radiated cruelty and power through his emerald green eyes that shone feverishly.

"Then I believe I shall insist on teaching you a new version of history, my dear," he drawled in his deep voice. He spoke as if he was still learning to speak, slowly and enunciating heavily on the first letters of each word, the sound more nerve wracking. "You seem like the sort who was never the willing one. And I do so enjoy bringing reluctant young mares to bridle."

Amelia trembled at the open lust on his face and winced as his fingers tightened in her hair hard enough to hurt. The Aces beside the Duchess suddenly trembled and he let her go, stepping before the pair of them. "I seem to be in need of your services, cards. My men know little of this new city."

"We would rather die than serve you," the Ace of Spades snarled and the King smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that," he answered, suddenly grabbing hold of the offending Ace by the throat. His fingers crushed into the column of his neck as blood began to leak slowly from the Ace's ears. Amelia and the Ace of Clubs both stared in horrified fascination as the red mist swirled up from his boots to wrap around the Ace's head. The Ace opened his mouth to scream and choked as the mist drifted into his mouth. His head began to shift, as if the bones were trying to realign themselves in his neck and his skull tried to shape itself.

Amelia cried out as his head transformed into that of a horse but far more demonic, eyes slit like a reptiles and the mouth fanged. The once-Ace screamed once more and before their horrified eyes he shook his head and stood, snorting like a horse. The odd heaviness to his head made the Suit stagger as he gained his feet and stared with ears pricked forward at the Red King.

The Red King gave a cold smile.

"An Ace to a Knight. Perfect," he said as he turned his eyes to the second Ace and Amelia. Amelia chose that as the perfect moment to simply faint away as the Red King grabbed hold of the Ace of Clubs, in her mind praying that Jack would save her.

* * *

Lust, as a harvested Emotion Tea, had a quick rise and equally quick fall. It was a fast high, quick and safe.

Lust as a regular emotion, Hatter re-discovered, had an equally fast rise but it was much harder to convince his body that it needed to fall.

Hatter lifted himself off of Alice completely when he realized that Jack was not about to leave. He pulled her skirt back down her legs before helping her retie her bodice and began to pray for a cold tub of ice water. Or just a block of ice to sit on. Or even just five minutes alone. He doubted he would have the time and decided that the next best step was to go and sit in his favourite chair and cross his legs. Alice tried to fix her hair before giving up and simply untying it, straightening her dress and patting at her face. She refused to look at Hatter and he sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as he finished buttoning his own shirt.

"I...I had been hoping not to interrupt anything," Jack offered as he turned back around, giving Alice a weak smile.

Hatter gave a short laugh that was void of any humour.

"Oh, we were just...having a tea party," Alice answered. Jack looked over at the table, seeing the smashed tea cups and upside down chairs and the flush to her face, and cleared his throat. Deciding to dismiss the cold pit of jealousy settling in his stomach, he nodded.

"Knave?" he called out and the thin man slipped into view, his black hair glinting under the blue lights of the front door.

"Miss Alice. The Hatter," he greeted, crossing his arms behind his back. Like before, he seemed rather bored with this all and had no problem looking over the pair of them with a measure of disdain for their rumpled clothing. Hatter sighed in exasperation.

"I did not send out invitations and if I did, I would hope that you'd bring the Duchess and not your best male pal. Leaves less room for gossip, see?" he snapped and Alice glared at him alongside Jack. "What? It's the truth. I swear, Jack, you have a personal warning system in your head that lets you know the minute I start to get a romantic encounter into my mind..."

"Hatter!"

Jack chose to ignore the younger man. "I came here, not willingly nor wanting to disturb you. But I need your help."

"My help?" Alice asked, confused.

"Both of your help," Jack said and Hatter finally stood, walking over to his desk to lean against it. He flipped his fedora back onto his head and pursed his lips.

"Now this should be good," he declared. "I almost wished that I had some hot tea left. And popcorn. I love popcorn in your world, Alice, all buttery and warm...remind me to shut up with the thinking about soft things right now..."

The Knave suddenly stiffened, as if listening to something. "We should move on, Sire," the Knave said but Jack shook his head.

"They'll look for us at the Flamingo Hanger, we still have some time."

"Jack," Alice prompted and the King sighed as he turned to her. "What is going on?"

"The Red King," Jack answered. Hatter opened his mouth but Jack pressed on quickly. "Has performed a coup."

"The Red King is dead, long dead," Hatter said anyway.

"Yes. King Roland was killed by my mother in the last war. His brother, Archibades the Eighth, was imprisoned years before. His power was taken and I was told he died a natural death in my mother's prisons at the bottom of the Lake. When I took over, I found out differently," Jack explained. Alice digested the information and guessed what was coming next.

"He escaped?"

Jack and the Knave both nodded. "Easily. The Red Throne still has supporters, you know. Same as the White Throne."

"Another bloody political mess," Hatter grumbled as he looked down at his hands and Jack sent him a furious look.

"It is worse than that." He stalked toward Hatter, stopping a mere foot away. "You know your history, Hatter. Your family was there at that time, after all. You know what Archibades was like."

"How can you both? That was years ago," Alice said and the Knave cleared his throat.

"We age differently in Wonderland, Miss. Alice. Slower and it has its reasons," he explained.

Alice shook her head, more confused than before. "How...how can he be the King? I thought he'd just be a prince or something like that?"

Hatter sighed, realizing she was confused by Wonderland Hierarchy. All the better; he did not want her asking questions about his family. "Archibades was the elder king. An insane king, liked to make people suffer. Never lost his title really but his brother overtook him. Was a long war as I heard. White King and Queen even tried to get in on it, taking Archibades' side," Hatter explained. "He promised them things, even married into their family. Around that time, the first Alice came back into Wonderland and defeated them in chess. Made him furious with rage and his destruction became worse and he turned on the Whites and the Cards."

"The war ended when my mother gave aid to Roland, who was always weaker than Archibades. He was kind, you see, a wise and just ruler, but no head for politics. My mother gave Roland a Sceptre of Power that allowed him to subdue his brother but he could not bring himself to kill him. She crushed the Whites with some insider help," Jack explained, eyes darting to Hatter curiously. "Of course, with them out of the way, it was easy to destroy the weaker Roland and seize complete power some years later. Old Archibades escaped four months after you both left Wonderland."

"He's after the throne," Alice whispered and Jack nodded.

"I had thought to enter a peace, to get him the help my mother denied him. He seemed so very eager to redeem himself. Then he disappeared after turning four of my best men into what he calls 'Knights.' He appeared midday today, after you and I met again near the Looking Glass, at the Palace. The red mists have placed my court in comatose state, and the citizens of Wonderland are gradually being placed in his thrall."

"All that in two hours. Boy works fast, eh?" Hatter sniped as he stood and walked behind his desk, distinctly uncomfortable as he heard the history lesson.

"The Duchess? Is she all right?" Alice asked and Jack stiffened.

"I believe so," he answered and both Hatter and Alice glanced at each other. It had been clear the Duchess's feelings for Jack at their victory over the Queen of Hearts but Jack clearly could not get past his own hurts to love her in return. It was a cruel move on his part, one that Alice found hard to believe and one that Hatter knew him capable of. The Hearts had long been renowned for their ability to be cruel in their kindness.

Alice sighed, looking out the window to see the apartments across the way. "What will happen to everyone?"

"The Red King's reputation was terrible. He enslaved thousands and changed them to his vision of perfection. My mother once told me horror stories as a child, her idea of controlling me, of what he did to the people," Jack said. "People transformed into monsters, red mists that choked their life from them."

"Is that where the snow came from?" Alice asked and the Knave shook his head.

"We can't be certain. Something released him but he has no power over the weather," the Knave commented but Jack waved his hand.

"I don't care about the change in the weather! I do not want to think of what he could do to Wonderland, to my people! The only thing in all of our favour is that he does not possess the Stone."

"We have the Stone of Wonderland safe," the Knave said suddenly. "The Sceptre has been missing for years now and we both can think of only two people who could know where it may be."

Alice watched him while Hatter spun in his chair like a bored child.

"One is Charlie; your White Knight, Alice. He may be old and rather...dodgy, but he was one of the last around that war," Jack explained. He looked away from her to stare at Hatter. "And the other is your rather tattered wolf in sheep's clothing."

He gave the spinning chair a pointed look.

"Hatter?" Alice asked incredulously, spinning on her bare feet. His chair rotated slowly back and Hatter was staring at his clasped hands. "What is Jack talking about?"

"Your King here," Hatter snapped as he finally looked up, his face pulled into a blank mask though his eyes seemed nearly black, "seems to think that because my family, way back when, were in good terms with both sides of those Courts, I'd have have some inside scoop on this all. Lightenin' flash of intelligence there, Jackie but I wasn't really part of all that. Plus, me brain is all here, yeah?"

"Madness is hereditary after all," Jack goaded. "That's why they kept your family around. Your family's madness hid the secrets for them, so that no one could discover them. You ke

pt all of their secrets for them, right?"

"That would be my grandfather and father, ain't nothing for me. I lived in the city almost all my life," Hatter answered. He looked at Alice. "I don't know anything, Alice."

She stared at him, for a moment stalling in her trust. Hatter read it in her face and looked away from her. Alice turned to Jack. "Why do you need my help?"

"Legend has it that the Sceptre was once borne by the very first Alice, the first to defeat both the Reds and the Whites in the most powerful Chess Game ever played and she left it behind, hiding it in a safe place, a garden. Every history and myth in Wonderland states that only a human can unlock the chest that holds it," Jack told her.

"It also says that if the person who tries to touch it is found unworthy the Sceptre will destroy itself and the wielder," Hatter interjected. Jack sighed.

"Yes, that is the rather unfortunate side," he allowed and Alice gave him a look.

"And why exactly do you think I can do this?"

"Fate, Alice. It wasn't coincidence that you came back here, I feel that," Jack told her and Hatter rolled his eyes as he spun in the chair again.

"Now that's a one-liner, make no real mistake of it," he tossed over his shoulder. "I brought her back to check on business, that's all."

Jack sighed bitterly, getting more and more irritated in dealing with Hatter's snideness. Alice turned her back on both of them, thinking it over as she walked to the one mirror that Hatter had in the room, a full length near his wardrobe. It glimmered at her and she stared into it as she tried to digest the short-form history she had been told.

She saw herself: marked with a green tattoo on her neck, dressed in an odd beaded dress, and mostly still rumpled from the tea table encounter with Hatter. Yet it seemed to suit her and she wistfully knew that she had never put Wonderland far from her mind. Maybe that was why it had been so very easy to follow Hatter back into Wonderland. It was almost as if she had known that there were no happy endings, that she was now as tied to the fate of this strange place as any of them.

I don't know what to do, Alice thought to herself. The mirror suddenly flickered before her and she sucked in her breath.

Behind her, Hatter and Jack began to argue quietly between themselves, the Knave silently siding with Jack on nearly every point.

"You can't ask this of her. This isn't her problem. It ain't mine either," Hatter said as he put his elbows onto his desk and leaned forward.

Jack gave him a mocking smile. "This is your home, Hatter. You can dress yourself up as a respectable Oyster all you like, pretend to be trustworthy. But you are still what you have always been. A Wonderlander who knows far more about the darker natures of us all than many. Gods know you peddled in them for how long. It is why I want you with us. If we run into anything that is cause for concern, I believe you can be of use."

"Oh, and I live to be used," Hatter snapped, not wanting to admit how his words had stung at the one sensitive spot Hatter left revealed. Jack went to answer him but stopped as the Knave nudged him.

"Your Majesty. Remember the phrase of vinegar and honey?" the Knave pointed out. He was one of Jack's more clever advisors and when he saw Hatter's right hand starting to clench up he wisely decided to 'advise' his King. Hatter and Jack both looked at him in annoyance and it was clear to the Knave that perhaps it would be better to just let them both beat each other senseless.

It would make for some wonderful betting on the local circuit who would win and the Knave could never quite resist a bet. There were better things to do though.

"Then if you may, sire, we have very little time. The Red King's mists will soon reach this end of the city and we will be stuck permanently," the Knave wheedled. Jack nodded and turned to where Alice was still staring perplexed at herself.

For just a moment, Alice had thought she had seen herself as the other Alice she read about. A honey blonde girl with pale skin and large grey eyes who was mouthing 'Please' at her as her blue dress fluttered in a breeze. Likely it was what Jack and Hatter had told her that was now fooling about with her mind and she sighed in exasperation. She was no child and this was no simple child's fantasy. This world was as dark as it was bright and filled with far more danger than even her home.

"Alice!" Jack repeated, slightly louder now and making her jump. Her dress crinkled as she whipped about and she saw all three men staring at her intently. Hatter looked away first, spinning his chair once again. He was trying very hard to seem uncaring but she knew him better. He was worried for her and she sighed.

"You need our help?" Alice asked as she sniffed and looked at Jack. He straightened his shoulders like a soldier and gave her a curt nod.

"Charlie is devoted to you, Alice. His loyalty may be to Wonderland but he is your friend and can help you. And I believe in my heart that you are the only one who can help us defeat the Red King. Even if we do not have all the help we need." Jack stared at Hatter, making it clear what he thought Hatter's decision would be.

"Hatter?" Alice asked. She did not look at the silent man but she felt his hesitation. "Please."

He stared at her, his eyes going from her face to Jack's and then to the Knave's. The Knave met his eyes squarely, his bored expression lifting just slightly to quirk an eyebrow up. Hatter sucked in his breath and stood in a hurried motion, kicking the chair back into place. Straightening his jacket again, Hatter came to stand beside Alice and gave the two men a look before taking Alice's hand. Blinking, she stared up at him and he gave her a grin.

"Like I'd let you go on your own. You're trouble in this world without me, luv. Be fun. One big happy trip for all of us," Hatter stated dryly and she sighed, squeezing his hand. But underneath the smile she gave him, Alice wondered just what Hatter hid from her and why only now it was starting to unravel.


	6. A Glorious Hunt

"I would say that riding four hours is rather hard on the backside, yeah?" Hatter asked as his horse jogged beside Alice's. She smiled at him, finding it hard to ignore the pounding her seat was starting to take. She was not a rider by any means and the constant adjustments to her balance were starting to frustrate her. That and the cold drizzle in this forest was going to leave her soaked to the bone.

"We couldn't take flamingos?" she asked and Hatter sent her a look.

"Right. 'Cause having you likely vomiting over my shoes is somethin' I'm looking forward to," he answered and she stared at him.

"I did not throw up!"

"Nah, you just started to make funny sounds just before we hit the lake," Hatter pointed out.

"We hit the lake at how many miles per hour? You screamed too," Alice said.

"Yeah, but I didn't lose it. Calm and cool, like your world's cucumber." Hatter paused in his train of thought. "Don't like cucumbers much. Transform into pickles and then it goes downhill from there."

"Hatter, remind me to give you those articles on focusing when we get back to my apartment," Alice said and he frowned. Water was dripping from the brim of his hat and he stuck a tongue to the corner of his lips in thought.

"Focusing? As I recall, your mother was worried about that but never explained it."

"Never mind," she said and slowed her grey gelding to a walk. Up ahead, Jack was looking about himself and running a hand through his hair. "Where are we going?"

"Jack wanted to keep goin' along the Old Forest Road. You can't pack much on a flamingo for starters and it's far more obvious. This road has no signs and the forest keeps changin' anyhow, no chance of someone tracking us on these paths. Not smart to stop along here but we're likely just a mile or so from the Kingdom, which is going to be irritatin' especially when we find Charlie and have to listen to 'Hey Nonny Nonny' for the rest of our bleedin' days," Hatter complained.

Alice stood in her stirrups to look around as well and Hatter eyed her slim legs with admiration. Jack had rushed them out of the Tea Shop and while Hatter didn't care what he wore, Alice was not about to race about Wonderland in a cocktail dress. While she packed a spare set of his clothing for him, Hatter had managed to get a Flower Girl to run down to storage and scrounge up a good pair of leggings that would let her run easily though she wore a slim black riding skirt and it was an excellent choice in his eyes. More so, she was back in one of his coats though she wore a thin sweater over her blouse now. He just hoped that it wouldn't get any colder or they would both being wearing their other set of clothes just to keep warm

Seeing them pass the same rock for the second time, Hatter cleared his throat. " 'bout two more miles west, isn't it? Then Shore Road? Or did you want to keep going east?"

"Yes, we're going west," Jack answered irritably, not wanting to ask for directions but clearly needing them as he turned his horse to the left pathway. The Knave followed suit and rode on ahead at a canter without speaking. Alice rolled her eyes. Men. Didn't matter what their rank or what world they lived in. All the same.

"Shouldn't we be going faster?" Alice asked and Jack gave a dismissive wave of his hand as they began to find their way up a low and long hill.

"Just a moment..." As he spoke, the Knave suddenly appeared at the crest of the hill and waved them on. Jack clipped his heels into his horse's side and cantered off. Alice and Hatter held their own horses back for a moment.

"Hatter, what do you think about this Knave?" Alice asked and he shrugged, his horse falling into step beside her.

"Quiet bloke. Can't tell much," Hatter said. "He's definitely not just a court figure."

"He doesn't seem to really...care."

"Not sure if I trust him."

"Jack does. Maybe we should," Alice said reluctantly and Hatter's eyes went to her face. She smiled at him uncertainly. "Makes sense doesn't it? Jack wouldn't lead us astray?"

"Yeah...sure," he answered and looked away. Hearing a snick of something against a tree, he glanced over his shoulder. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Alice asked as she glanced as well. The road was empty behind them.

"I think," Hatter paused as he heard the sound of metal on metal clanging away. He barely got a word out before something large and red slammed into him from the side, knocking his horse to its side. Alice cried out as Hatter rolled from under his horse, jumping from her own horse to his side. She pulled him safe from the creature as it turned around.

"Jack!" she yelled at the top of her lungs before a deafening roar drowned her voice out. Hatter groaned as he picked himself up and shook out his shoulders. They both froze as they stared at the large metal creature snarling at them. Its metal body was tarnished copper and reminded Alice of a lion with its thick, metallic mane and massive head, complete with iron teeth and piercing white eyes.

The lion roared at them, clawing its feet into the ground as it prepared to spring. Its legs was a mass of gears and springs but no less threatening and Alice gulped. She and Hatter looked at each other for a moment before leaping in opposite directions. The creature twisted in mid air, grabbing hold of Alice's coat and flinging her hard against a tree. It dropped to its feet, jaw creaking as it snarled at her.

Whistling to grab the lion's attention, Hatter leapt to Alice's side in time to distract it from grabbing hold of her. Hatter twisted to try to use his right hand and the robot grabbed hold of his fist in its jaw, its teeth mashing down. Hatter was more surprised than hurt but the lion was incredibly startled as one of its large fangs broke on Hatter's clenched fist.

"Damn," he muttered as the creature suddenly threw its head to the right and whipped it back around. It howled at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there.

Recovering from her fall, Alice sprang at it, dodging the heavy metal tail to pounce on the lion's broad back. It bucked beneath her, the startling power inside of it seeming to crackle like electricity. She tried to rip at the gears connecting its shoulders to its legs, the sharp edges biting into her hands. They were well made though, undamaged as the creature leapt from side to side, still holding Hatter to the ground. Hatter struggled to get his right hand out of from under its crushing paw and Alice clung to the lion for her life. Out of the corner of her eye, Alice saw Jack galloping down the hill to them, his gun balanced as he took aim.

The first blast did nothing, the lion still roaring its rage as one of its heavy paws slammed into the side of Hatter's head. He groaned at the pain, eyes widening while he narrowly dodging the lion's mouth as it swooped down to try to snatch his head. Hatter resumed trying to yank his hands from under the lion's crushing weight as he tried to see a weakness. He saw the more delicate gears and wheels protected by the crafted metal mane and heard another shot go off, pinging harmlessly off the metal hide. The bullet ricocheted and imbedded itself into a tree trunk and the lion lifted its head slightly, revealing the gaps between the metal bones.

"Alice!" Hatter yelled over the creature's growling. "Try to get it to lift its head!"

"What?" Alice yelled back.

"The head! Get it to lift its..." he broke off as the lion's head came down again, freeing his right hand in time to grab hold of its snout just inches from his face. Alice, still struggling to hold her balance on the slippery metal, flicked her eyes quickly over the metal head as she dug her knees in for balance. The metal eyes and ears seemed to be made of a finer metal and she quickly reached down, grabbing hold of the ears and wrenching them back. The lion howled as if in pain and reared back off of Hatter, Alice dangling from its neck as it made a nearly perfect arch into the air. Jack let off a third bullet and it ripped into the more delicate gears of the robot's neck.

The metal lion seemed to freeze in the air before its head began breaking apart, Alice flung over its head to land beside Hatter. They stared as the lion lost its head, the neck falling to useless gears and wires. The rest completely stiffened and fell to the ground, nothing but an empty shell.

Hatter put his head back on the ground and winced at the agony in his head. "I think I may start to wear a full on helmet now."

"Well, if you can still keep talking you're likely fine," Alice answered as she picked herself up, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. Deciding to ignore it, she walked to where Jack and his horse were circling the lion.

"What is that?" she demanded and Jack sighed as he looked over the lion.

"That would be a metal lion." She sent him a 'do I really look that stupid' look but he nodded to the scratched emblem of a checkerboard on its shoulder. "They were outlawed years ago but they were creatures used in the Red and White's Kingdom. By the looks of it, it seems like someone has been repairing and tampering with them. This was set up to find us; these things don't act like regular animals. Someone let them loose in the Forest...their attacks aren't random."

"Certainly aren't," Hatter grumbled as he stood and cracked his neck. Beyond a decent bruise on his temple, he seemed unhurt. "Where in Wonderland is my hat?"

"I think you have bigger concerns than that," Jack said as he watched Alice catch her horse and then Hatter's. Hatter made a face.

"So says you. Ah! There it is!" He was looking up the massive tree he had been flung against, scratching at the top of his head in confusion. "How did it get up there?"

Jack opened his mouth but Alice shook her head as she dusted herself off. "Really...just let him get his hat. It's easier."

"It's all the way in the branches," Jack said and she shrugged. Hatter cracked his fingers together and made a faint whistling sound as if to coerce the hat down. When it didn't move, he sighed and immediately rammed his right fist into the thick tree trunk. The entire tree shook as if an earthquake was under it but didn't go down, Hatter's hand buried halfway through the trunk. The hat promptly fell onto his wild dark hair and he gave a chipper whistle as he strode back to them, dusting wood chips off from his grey leather coat.

Jack rolled his eyes but Alice was looking over the horse Hatter had been riding. "I think she's hurt," she said and both men followed her eyes to see the large gash on the mare's right flank. It was not bleeding, more of a burn type of wound, but she was obviously limping now. Hatter swallowed as he scratched the mare's neck affectionately and loosened her saddle to dump it on the ground. He threw Alice the saddlebags containing their sparse supplies and turned back to Jack.

"She can't carry me. Wouldn't be fair to her," he decided aloud as he handed Jack the reins of the mare. The King nodded, waiting as Alice mounted her own horse.

"Knave found the path and went to track it out. This mare will have to heal up; let's hope Charlie is not too far off. We can trade with him," Jack told them. Hatter nodded and grabbed Alice's outstretched hand, hauling himself up behind her onto their saddlebags. Jack led the injured mare for them as his horse moved on. Settling as comfortably as he could, Hatter squeezed his arms tightly around Alice's waist as if to check that she was all right and she smiled, reaching down with a hand to hold onto his clasped hands.

* * *

The Forest seemed less beautiful now after the lion's attack and the bright colours of the flower lined path even seemed to weaken. The sunlight was starting to dim in the forest, lending an almost sinister edge to it as they travelled through the border lines close to Charlie's home. Hatter remarked on the black and white flowers and the singing insects, trying to attract Alice's attention but she could only focus on her sore backside and the throbbing pain of her shoulder. Jack trotted his horse ahead with the Knave now leading the injured mare beside his horse as they stayed beneath the trees, avoiding the green clearings in favour of the cover of the trees. They were in more dangerous territory now. Alice turned her head this way and that, trying to see what was making the odd whispering and moaning sounds. Hatter could feel her tension, not knowing why she seemed to stiffen up as their mount stumbled over a log.

"Oi! Jackie boy!" he yelled, Alice wincing when his voice reverberated in her ear. Jack did not even look around this time.

"I insist...no, I order you to stop calling me that!" Jack answered over his shoulder.

"Right then, Jackie, first thing I'll try for. I suggest we have a stop to stretch our legs. Don't know about you but I'm used to using my legs, not being carried about," Hatter said. Alice hid a grateful smile as both Jack and the Knave reined to a stop.

"I could do with a rest as well," the Knave admitted. "We ride any further without rest, we'll all be liable to not move for hours."

Jack looked at the path they were travelling then the open clearing to their left, the lake to their right and then at the darkness of the woods. "Very well. We can take fifteen minutes but we need to be going. The Red King will likely be tearing my own men apart and those privy to my guard will know of the plans. He will come after us when he learns that I've escaped," Jack said.

" 'Cor, you've got a flair for dramatics. Big scary danger, we get it," Hatter said as he slid from the back of Alice's horse. "Would it be too much to ask for one time that Alice comes to Wonderland for it to be for decent reasons?"

Alice smirked at him as she joined him on the ground. She stepped close when she saw Jack and the Knave checking over the clearing and kept her voice low. "It's not like your plans were exactly decent, Hatter."

"My plans?" he repeated, pushing the brim of his hat up to look at her.

"As I recall, you had me pressed onto the tea table with my skirt around my waist and my top untied. I think that you had lowered my top to keep your mouth occupied as well while your hands..." Alice broke off as she stepped close enough to press him back into the horse. Hatter stared down at her, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Now, tell me that that is decent."

Hatter groaned deep in his throat as she leaned up into him, her mouth brushing his. "Oyster, I think you are trying to kill me."

"Not before I get to know how one of your tea parties really ends," Alice teased as her lips pressed into his. Hatter groaned again as he returned the kiss, fingers reaching out to touch her cheek. She broke away before he could deepen the kiss, the half-smile she gave him pulling on him just as strongly as the kiss.

"You are trying to kill me. There are the same laws about murder in Wonderland as there are in your world. Worse actually; you get only bread and butter rations for days," he grumbled and she shrugged. Hatter gave her a wink before he moved off, causing Alice to smile to herself as she led the horse to where Jack was tying up the other three. The Knave was walking about to stretch his legs. Jack watched her once she drew closer, seeing the soft smile on her face.

He cleared his throat, remembering to keep his voice low. "You never once looked at me like that, Alice. I wonder why that is?"

She blinked and he gestured to Hatter subtlety. She followed his eyes to see where Hatter was strolling near the shore of the lake and promptly blushed. Jack shook his head and sighed.

"I don't know, Jack," Alice answered truthfully when she met his cool bright eyes with her own. "I wish I could understand it as well." He gave a jerky nod and turned his back on her, closing the discussion before ever really opening it. Jack honestly did not know why he wanted so badly to know what caused that look. He wanted to know how that look felt.

Alice opened her mouth to ask why he suddenly looked so sad when she heard a roar in the distance that made them all jump. Hatter raced back up the path to her side, him and Jack flanking her as the Knave came racing back from the woods. The keening sound came closer and closer, the ground beginning to shake beneath their feet. The trees sounded as if they were being ripped up from their roots and the horses began to spook, Hatter retreating to try to calm them.

"What was that? It sounds familiar," Alice whispered as the roaring drew close again and Jack seemed to become even paler. The Knave raced to their sides and tried to catch his breath.

"Your Majesty..." he started and Jack nodded.

"Mount up!" he ordered just as a large Jabberwock came crashing into the open clearing near them. Its dragon like body was lumbering as fast as it could, shaking off tree branches and mud. It screeched at them as it passed, clearly not hunting them as it ran on its hind legs while waving its shorter forearms. Jack and Alice both sighed in relief, Hatter having untied just one horse before he too stared in amazement at the scene.

"Well...that was lucky," he commented as he scratched the horse's neck. The Jabberwock made one circle of the clearing, screeching still and shaking its one leg. There was a long line attached to the Jabberwock's leg, wrapped all about its ankle. As they watched, the line suddenly snapped tight and the Jabberwock stopped moving to waggle its head back to where it had come from.

"TALLYHO!" a high voice shouted as the sound of a galloping horse coming closer reached them. As Jack, the Knave, Alice and Hatter watched, a grey horse carrying a tarnished White Knight came flying into the clearing. The Jabberwock screeched again and took off for the forests, the rope pulled taut now. Alice stared, seeing the line attached to a crafted horn on the horse's saddle and Charlie holding a lance in the air.

"TALLYHO!" the Knight shouted again as he passed them, his arms flapping about awkwardly as he encouraged his grey to higher speeds. "Onward to the vermin ridden antiquated monster of old! For the glory known to heroes of old!"

"You have to be kidding me," Jack muttered and Hatter chuckled as he watched Charlie duck a low branch as he entered the woods on the other side of the clearing. His smile disappeared from his face as he realized the problem with tying a Jabberwock to a saddle but Alice spoke first.

"How much does a Jabberwock weigh?" she asked. Jack and Hatter looked at each other, each going for a horse when the words sunk in. Hatter took Jack's before the King could protest, clipping his heels into the horse's sides hard enough that it sprang into a canter. Jack grabbed Alice's horse, pulling himself up.

"Alice, stay with the Knave!" he ordered before he raced after Hatter and Charlie. Alice stamped her foot and untied the Knave's horse.

"No!" she ground out, mounting up. The Knave stared, bewildered, as the slim girl raced after the others into the woods, before he looked at the injured mare.

"I don't suppose you'd like to place a bet on who is coming back alive?"

* * *

The forest paths seemed to vibrate with the sound of the Jabberwock fleeing the White Knight, its roaring overwhelmed by its heavy footfalls. Charlie, however, was in his element as he tried to push Arthur to greater and greater speeds. Long days in the saddle hadn't made him the most expert horseman though and his arms flapped like a chicken at his sides. The only thing keeping him upright was his lance, decorated with blue ribbons and braced just as his tutor had told him. The rope stayed taunt between himself and the Jabberwock and he ignored the way it pulled on his saddle.

"Come back here, you cowardly sugar-loaf! I shall flay you alive!" Charlie shouted as he and Arthur narrowly dodged a tree.

Hatter leaned close over his horse's neck as they galloped through the woods, hearing Jack's horse racing just behind them. His eyes were tearing up at the speed they were going, trees flashing by as they raced over a hill and onto a flat stretch between the trees. Peering over his shoulder, Hatter saw Jack balanced expertly over his mount. Less concerned with formal equitation, Hatter twisted slightly in his saddle.

"You got a knife?" he yelled as they began to gain on Charlie. Jack met his eyes.

"Front part of that saddle, in the holder. Blade's sharp!" he shouted. Hatter put his hand to the saddle, feeling the hilt of the short sword. Looking back up, he narrowly ducked a low tree branch.

Charlie took careful aim but recovered before he threw his lance when the Jabberwock suddenly took a sudden turn. He spurred at his horse's sides, hoping that the rate of speed would accommodate for the turn. Arthur took the turn well, trained well despite his rider's lack of skill. "That's it, my boy! On to glory! We shall have him!" Charlie declared and it actually seemed as if Arthur picked up speed. Charlie blessed all the Knights for having such a worthy mount as the Jabberwock drew closer.

Until he realized that his saddle was now being pulled half-way up his horse's neck and that the leather cinch was starting to creak at the strain.

"Bullocks!" he shouted just as the leather snapped and he flew over Arthur's neck while still in the saddle, his feet jammed in so deeply that they were stuck. His lance fell to the ground as well, jamming upright into the ground. Arthur slowed immediately, shaking his head and Charlie shouted out, "Cowardly mule!" while he gripped the pommel of his saddle desperately.

"Charlie!" a familiar voice shouted as the trees whizzed by and the Knight managed to turn his head just enough to see Hatter racing up behind him.

"Harbinger!" he yelled backed just before he crunched hard into a tree. He groaned, stars swimming in his vision as he flew to the side and crunched into another tree. The Jabberwock picked up speed once more when it felt the lack of weight at the end of its tether, twisting and turning through the trees. Charlie shifted his weight to avoid the trees, digging his feet in to try to brake himself.

Hatter pulled the sword free from the scabbard as he reined the horse to the left. Jack followed Charlie, racing to Charlie's right as Hatter galloped his horse through the trees nearby, hoping to cut off the Jabberwock. The monster suddenly wheeled, nearly slamming into Hatter and his horse before leaping into the air, jumping them. As the rope sailed over his head, Hatter pulled his horse to a rearing stop and sliced the rope, Jack galloping by them. Charlie nearly went sailing into another tree when Jack caught his arm, straining to hold the Knight. Charlie grabbed hold of Jack's saddle and swung gratefully to the ground, his legs collapsing beneath himself. Hatter wheeled his horse into a circle as the Jabberwock came around again, stalking toward them at a slower pace as it wiggled its head back and forth, staring at Charlie and Jack and then at Hatter.

It lowered its head close enough to Hatter's horse and roared. Hatter kept a tight hold of the horse, dropping the sword as he did so. He glared at the monster, not sure what else he could do when the Jabberwock roared once more. Its earthy breath blasted Hatter's clothing tight against his body as its teeth came inches from his body.

"I really hate the smell of you things," he snapped as he cranked back and lashed out with his right fist. It struck the Jabberwock's eyelid like a hammer and the creature lowered its head at once, keening before baring its teeth at Hatter once again. Hatter struck out again, this time catching it on the odd twist to its snout. This time the monster keened louder, dropping to a whimper as it curled its tail around its body. It began to slink back into the woods, its body blending into the trees until it simply disappeared. Hatter blinked, stunned. "That actually worked."

"I nearly had him! So very close!" Charlie exclaimed as he let go of Jack and jumped to the ground, staring with dismay at his ruined saddle. "Once again, Harbinger, you disrupt my hunt!"

"You're welcome, Charlie, for savin' your life!" Hatter snapped as he turned his horse around.

"Quite. What were you thinking in tying a Jabberwock to your saddle?" Jack demanded and the Knight sniffed, straightening as elegantly as he could.

"Your Majesty. I am an inventor! I invent many things such as the beehive mousetrap," he began and Hatter rolled his eyes to the sky as Charlie began a long-winded explanation about the mechanics of a new trap he had created. The King was nodding politely, clearly out of his depth. Hatter looked down the way they came, hearing another horse.

Alice reined in her mount, staring at them all. She was holding Charlie's lance in one hand, tossing it on the ground before she dismounted. "Charlie! Are you all right?" she demanded and he stared at her.

"Visions above...Justalice! You have come back!" He hugged her tightly to him, noticing the lance. "And you have come to join the glory that is the Jabberwock hunt. It is their mating season you know, so there are plenty to find."

"Interruptin' a romantic encounter, eh Charlie? Funny...sounds like somethin' another person 'ere is an expert at," Hatter stated with a pointed look at Jack, who had the good sense to look away in embarrassment.

"I told you to stay with the Knave," Jack scolded Alice and she rolled her eyes in imitation of Hatter.

"Good luck with that one, mate, she never stays where she's told anyway," Hatter said and she glared at him as well.

"To what do I owe the honour of your esteemed presence, Alice of Legend, Your Majesty and..." Charlie made a reluctant noise in his throat, "Alice's Harbinger?"

Alice was about to speak but Jack shook his head. "We need to get going. I'll ride back to the Knave, make sure he is still where he needs to be and not wandering off. I'll let you three catch up and get back to where we left the Knave."

He turned his horse and cantered off like the dignified King he was. Hatter and Alice glanced at each other before looking at the muttering Charlie. He was picking up the pieces of his rope and saddle, grumbling as he did so. As if he realized that his horse was missing, he gave an odd whistle through his teeth and Arthur came jogging along the path.

"Terrible mule! You abandon me at my time of need!" Charlie snapped and the horse shook its head in irritation. "I should make you into a carousel pony for such behaviour!"

"Charlie, get on your horse," Hatter ordered and the Knight continued to mutter under his breath as he led the horse to a log. There was an odd rumbling behind them and Hatter looked over his shoulder to see a tiny pair of yellow eyes staring at them. "Hurry up, Charlie."

Alice helped boost Charlie up and he nearly teetered off to the side once more before he balanced. "Riding without a saddle is terribly undignified," he declared and Alice smiled.

"I'm sure you'll survive it," she answered, patting his knee gently. Charlie took his lance from her when she retrieved it and held it awkwardly. Hatter waited for Alice to mount up before nudging his horse into a walk. Charlie followed at a slower pace.

"What are you doin' out this way, Charlie?" Hatter asked over his shoulder before Charlie could get a chance to break into his riding song.

"A secret route from the Kingdom of Knights. Wonderful really, leads past the borogrove's nest and into the badger's den then back out along the East River side. The Jabberwocks frequent this area at times, vile creatures they are!" Charlie explained. "I had had such dreams in the nights past, nothing that a man with my experience in the Black Arts couldn't handle of course."

"Of course," Hatter said, looking over his shoulder again. Sure enough, the Jabberwock had emerged from the woods just enough that he could see its head.

"What kind of dreams, Charlie?" Alice asked as she sent Hatter a questioning look. Charlie finally got up to speed to ride beside them.

"Snow filled dreams. Ah, I have not seen snow in decades you know, wondrous stuff. All matter of snow," Charlie started and immediately set off into a ramble about snow. Hatter sighed in exasperation. Alice may complain about him rambling on at times but at least he had purpose in his rambling. Charlie seemed to just...ramble and sometimes Hatter wondered if the Knight even knew what was coming out of his mouth. "But enough about me, Justalice! Why are you here in Wonderland?"

The eagerness in the old Knight's voice made Alice smile. "I came with Hatter."

"I see," the Knight said as his eyes darted to Hatter's face. Hatter suddenly felt like a boy faced with the father of his girlfriend for the first time. "And to where do you go?"

"Was supposed to just be the Tea Shop. But his Royalness has something else in store," Hatter answered as he looked away. Alice didn't see his puzzled look behind at the woods once more.

"The Red King, Charlie," Alice started.

"Ah yes, a magnificent poise, still placed upon his throne," Charlie interrupted, "though some of the skeletons were moved about. Most likely by the toths."

"Toths?"

"Don't ask," Hatter told Alice. "Charlie, there was a coup in the city. Archibades the Eighth is alive and kickin'."

It was the third time Alice had seen Charlie truly struck dumb, this time with absolute fear rather than surprise or grief. "He is dead though," Charlie insisted. "Roland may not have killed him but the Queen of Hearts put him in her prison years ago. He would surely be dead or at least powerless."

* * *

The Knave gave a click of his tongue before sinking his teeth into the final bit of his tiny goshberry tart. Goshberries were all around the countryside, far more sweet than any other berry, and he had plucked a few to sprinkle them over his bland tart shell. One thing he insisted on was tart shells; you never knew when you would find some delicious fillings about Wonderland and there was a symphony of flavours to be found. He had been alive long enough to find them all, once advisor to King Winston before he had angered the Queen and now advisor to the King's son. Jack did not care about the Knave's perchance for tarts or gambling, so long as he did his work.

He was terribly good at his work too, too good the Knave supposed. He was bored by his constant need to foresee every danger, every obstacle, but it was why the Queen had first altered him. The perfect tool, she had called him once when she had watched him protect her son one day from a politicial assassination; that was long before she had captured the Resistance's secret agent and nearly made him her own. Then the Mad March had replaced the Knave in skill and favour for a time but Jack had insisted on the release of his old friend when he had come to power and the Knave was determined to repay that one day. Though he was a tad bit rusty these days...

As he licked off the remnants from his fingers, he stared out at the lake and promptly choked. Across the water there were four hover boats motoring across, the boats Jack's men used to scout the edges of the lake on daily occasions. Tipping his head upward, the Knave's eyes went an odd shade of purple as his vision narrowed. He looked back down at the lake. He could see the Royal Heart insignia on the boats and saw the backs of the Suits as they travelled slowly toward the shore.

Behind him, Jack rode up and gave an odd sound. "Some escaped then," he declared as he dismounted and stood by the Knave. The Knave continued to stare, confused by the sudden arrival of these Suits. He knew that he had been the only one to escape with the King.

"No, your Majesty. I very much doubt it," the Knave answered when his vision tunnelled further as if he were looking through binoculars. One of the Suits finally stood and turned and the Knave sucked in his breath. The Suit's head was completely transformed into that of a demonic horse, the awkwardness of it making the Suit sway uneasily. The reddened eyes only added to its menace and the Knave cleared his vision.

"We should flag them down. We could use all the men we could get," Jack ordered while stepping toward the shore but the Knave clamped a hand down onto his shoulder.

"No. Trust me...those are no longer your men, sire," the Knave answered as he pulled his King further back under the trees. He moved back to the injured mare and looked her over as he untangled her reins from the brush. She was slowing them up and he pursed his thin lips as his dark eyes swept over the injury. Grabbing her by the bridle, the Knave turned her about to the river edge. The horse shook her head as he unbuckled one of the reins and removed his own heavy coat before snapping the rein in half. Jack watched, bewildered, as the Knave lashed a pair of branches upright onto the mare's back and threw his coat over the branches. The result was a slipshod dummy and he clapped his hand onto the mare's haunch, watching as she sprang off into a limping trot back down the road.

"Impressive," Jack commented and the Knave shrugged modestly.

"Let's just hope that they are dumb as ever and follow it," he answered. The horse had picked up speed into a gallop along the shore now, going back to where she knew home was. To the Knave's surprise, the hover boats did start to turn as if to track the mare. "We'd better be going then."

"The others are coming now. Let's hope the horse is enough of a distraction for those creatures to give us time to get into the Kingdom and question Charlie," Jack said as he and the Knave both turned to see the trio approaching, Charlie swaying unsteadily on his gelding. The Knave took in the sight of the odd Knight with raised eyebrows and looked at Jack. The King shrugged. "Believe me, this seems to be one of his good days."

"Oh wonderful," the Knave muttered.


	7. Knight to Pawn

The Kingdom of Knights seemed melancholy as Charlie took them the long way through. He had moved his camp to the other side, he had told them all, wanting to keep one step ahead of the unfavourable sort. He believed that moving would let him escape the cold winds that now blew through the once temperate forests but they still found their way even to his camp. Those thoughts and his dreams were telling him to move on. Where once Jack may have dismissed that as Charlie's bragging, he was unsure now. Was it actually possible that the Red King's coup was about to grow more devastating? What would that mean for his throne, for his people?

"You are all most fortunate," Charlie said, jerking Jack from his dark thoughts as he turned the spit on the fire. It reminded Jack of his still untouched food and he looked back down at the sliced meat on his plate. "Borogroves. So very delicious as Alice will attest."

Alice gave a smile as she reached out a hand to warm it near the fire. "Must be the way you do it, Charlie."

"All in the exact spicing and cooking times. Four minutes soaked in mild ginger beer and it is scrumptious. I know no other chef in Wonderland who can attest to my recipe," Charlie said, nearly preening at her compliment. Jack set the plate to the side, unable to eat while his thoughts were on the real problem. Charlie caught sight of this and grumbled out, "Your Majesty, you must eat."

"I'm not hungry," Jack answered tersely, not accustomed to being ordered. Hatter clicked his tongue against his teeth from across the fire where he sat beside Alice.

"Eat a few slices. Be rude to not taste such delicious food," Hatter told him and gave Jack a meaningful look to Charlie. The King sighed, noticing Charlie's crestfallen face, and picked up his plate again. He popped a slice of meat in his mouth, unprepared for how delicious it actually was. The taste revived his hunger and Jack murmured his thanks while Charlie grinned in delight. The Knave, always ravenous and prone to gobbling down his food, set down his plate first and looked at where Alice and Hatter were whispering to one another, Hatter teasing her about spot of meat juice she had on her face. The Knave shook his head as he was a bit unclear about the courting habits of Oysters and young Wonderlanders. It was clear to him at least that Hatter was exercising a fair amount of restraint on his temper to keep Alice safe in this trip. Had he not, they would likely have had a massive fight on their hands. It was admirable, the lengths the younger man was willing to go to keep Alice safe.

Though as the Knave took in the strength hiding deep within the young woman, he knew that that protection was not fully needed. There was something else about this Alice that was very hidden and he was not certain what it was. He glanced at the White Knight munching happily away on a rib bone. Now here was something unexpected. The Knight had led them on trails he would have never considered being a pathway and into a beautiful kingdom that now was rife in decay and sadness.

Alice finished the last of her food and set down her plate. "Charlie, did you think about what we told you?"

"About that ghastly business. Of course! My mind is full of channels and wells..."

"Deep wells," Hatter muttered under his breath and Alice dug her elbow into his rib.

"...that allow me to see all sides at once. The darkness that has corrupted the Wonderland must be defeated," Charlie declared.

"We do need your help, Charlie," Jack said. "You may remember the paths through the woods better than the rest of us and we will need guidance for certain. We need to find the Royal Sceptre. It has the power to defeat the Red King. We think the Royal Sceptre is in these woods or even in this very place."

"Me? Through and into the Checkerboard Taiga?" Charlie asked, voice seeming to drop to a whisper. Hatter and Jack both stiffened at his words and the Knave looked down. Alice gave them both confused looks.

"Those exist? Like in the story?" she asked Charlie and he nodded.

"But the legends said that the Sceptre was supposed to be in the care of the Red King Roland," Jack insisted, "and this is his resting place after all."

Charlie made an odd sound in his throat. "Then I am sorry to disappoint you, sire, but as I recall, the Sceptre was stolen and hidden by someone else. I have combed these woods, these graves even, praying to find it to restore at least some relics of the Ancients to glory. I believe it is lost in the Checkerboard Taiga, which would take decades to search."

"That...is not good news," Hatter said softly while he rubbed his palms together.

"All is lost...before we even began," Jack said, head bowing as if the words had devastated him. Alice reached out and squeezed his hand to comfort him. Hatter watched her face, seeing her disappointment, and then looked at Jack before sighing.

"Actually...might not be that bad," Hatter decided and the young King looked up. His bright eyes were suspicious as he looked over at Hatter.

"What?"

Hatter looked uncomfortable as the others turned curious eyes to him as well. "Well, I was hoping to find it here. Make better sense, yeah? But since it isn't... just means that my Da's stories were likely pretty true."

"What?" Jack repeated coldly.

"Long time ago, my family worked for the Royals. Big shock that, I know," he said with a pointed look at Jack. "When the Queen of Hearts took over, my Da stole back some things from her she stole from the Whites and returned them. Good thief he was actually. Said he felt bad for them to lose everything in their house arrest. Not sure why he told me this, said that everything was returned back to the White Manor."

"So the Sceptre is there?" Alice asked, confused by this side to Hatter. Well, not so much confused as disappointed that he would keep such a thing until they had all lost hope. He shrugged.

"Possibly. Best thing I've got and I think it's the best option we have," he answered.

"Why didn't you tell us this at the beginning?" Jack demanded as he stood. Hatter stood as well, Alice following in reflex to keep them separate.

"You've got a habit of keeping your own counsel, your Majesty. How was I to know you were leading us blind in this?" Hatter demanded angrily. Charlie was staring at them all, his eyes moving like Ping-Pong balls as he tried to follow the conversation. The Knave gave Hatter a curious look.

"How do we know that you don't have it secreted away in that gaudy Tea Shop of yours?" he pointed out and Hatter met his eyes.

"I think you both believe I would have sold it by now, eh?" he challenged and both Jack and the Knave looked at one another.

Alice put her hand to her mouth as she thought it over. "Okay. Let's not get angry over this. The important thing is that we can still find it."

Hatter and Jack both backed down slowly, still seeming like they were about to spring at each other's throats. "Alice is correct," Charlie said. "The only way to find the White Manor is through the Checkerboard Taiga, at the very North."

"Which will be ever so much fun," Jack ground out as he turned and stalked to the other side of the fire. Hatter narrowed his eyes, the fire lending a shadow to his hatted head that darkened his face.

"Taiga means forest, doesn't it?" Alice asked and the Knave nodded. "So we travel North."

"Oh well, it isn't that simple, Justalice," Charlie said. "The Checkerboard Taiga is magical, divided into parcels of light and dark. Some quite massive. You have to find the correct place to cross, the correct moves I suppose you could say, before you can reach the North. The Kingdom of Knights is considered its most Southern brink, we are just on the border you know."

"Which means that if we take the wrong path, the wrong step, we'll wind up right back at the beginning or going to places where no one has ever come back from," Hatter continued for Charlie. Alice looked at him but he was no longer looking at her, simply staring at his right-hand fingernails as if they occupied his time.

"We have to chance it, don't we?" Alice said. They all looked away from her. "If we don't then, from what Jack has told us, the Red King's darkness will spread and innocent people will die."

The Knave sighed. "Alice is correct, Sire. We must take this risk. The other option we cannot use since the Suits have been turned and we have no way of fighting this foreign magic."

Jack had turned away from them, running his hands through his short blonde hair in agitation. They could see that it was running through his head, the risks and the possibilities, the potential for victory and the devastating knowledge that this could destroy it all. He turned back, his face once again the skilful mask of a King speaking to his subjects.

"We'll go into the Taiga then," Jack declared. "Charlie? You'll come with us?"

"Of course, my liege. I would consider it my greatest honour to be your guard on this journey into the dark Taiga," Charlie said with a clumsy bow. The Knave rolled his eyes again and all three looked at Alice and Hatter.

"What?" Hatter demanded though Alice was already nodding her agreement. When he realised what they were waiting for, Hatter stiffened.

"We do not expect you..." Jack started.

"My family was involved with this," Hatter snapped out. "If you need my help, just ask me rather than running on assumptions."

"Then would you..."

" 'Course." Hatter put his arm around Alice's shoulders. "Matched set we are."

Alice shook her head but Charlie nodded. "As you should be as you are her vassal."

"Don't go callin' me vassal, Charlie, or this is going to be a long awkward trip," Hatter warned. Jack nodded, his agitation eased just slightly so that he managed a tight smile at them all.

"Well, we should rest for the taxing journey ahead. I suggest four hours at least, perhaps even eight! Dawn comes quickly and we have spent much of the night talking," Charlie said as he brushed off his trousers and looked about. The rest of them shrugged, looking about the ruins as well. "I have some blankets of course."

They all slipped off to try to find comfortable areas to sleep in the ruins when it became clear that no one was in the mood to talk. Hatter dusted off his trousers as he headed to the last place he had slept when in Charlie's home, wondering if the fence would be just as terrible to sleep against this time. Wincing at the thought of the crick it would put in his neck, he glanced around for a softer area to try. Charlie was already snoring away in his threadbare hammock, Jack and the Knave setting up their blankets against old trees while Alice dusted off the old bed and mattress.

Biting gently into his inner cheek, Hatter elected to follow suit and found a soft patch of grass beneath one of the more isolated trees. It gave him a gorgeous view of the rest of the old Kingdom in the distance, the ruins highlighted by the starlight and blanketed in soft blue fog. The massive mushrooms bracketing the forests were shrivelling at the cold winds that blew, no longer beautiful but ugly even in the moonlight. Still, Hatter decided as

he settled against the tree atop the blanket, it was a good view.

As he tucked his coat tighter against his body, Hatter wondered why he had opted to lie to them all about the Sceptre before. He had hoped that the Sceptre would be in the Kingdom. His sparse memories of the other Kingdoms of the past Royalty were not favourable but then again, he had few good old memories that did not have Alice in them. As he thought about the Sceptre, about this unbelievable turn in events, Hatter heard his father's voice echoing in his head.

"That's the thing about royals and these travellin' oysters, eh? Dense as rocks and silly not to see what is in front of them, or they go telling everyone about their secrets without worryin' who knows. Don't you get like that, boy. You keep all those secrets locked away up there in your head. Family tradition!"

"I don't want to be like the others," Hatter suddenly said.

"What others?"

He jerked his head up, seeing Alice standing just to his left with the coat he had given her wrapped tightly against her body. The dark blue of it hid her well, so that the only thing he could see was the white column of her throat and her pale eyes. She had her head tipped head on the side as she smiled down at him, her blanket folded against her chest.

"Just thinkin' to me-self, Alice," he said as he removed his hat and set it on his bent knee. She nodded in understanding, sitting close beside him. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I should," she agreed. "Can't though. Firstly, it is unbelievably cold and I like to be warm. Secondly, Charlie snores like a chain-saw."

"Ah, yeah," Hatter agreed with a grin. Alice sighed as she scooted close beside him, his arm instinctively going around her shoulders as she tucked herself against his side. She pulled the blanket over their legs and leaned her face against his green silk shirt.

"You don't like that I agreed with Jack," Alice said as she pressed her ear against his chest. He sighed, the sound vibrating in her ear.

"That doesn't matter, does it?" he asked and she shrugged under his arm, the warmth they created making her sleepy.

"It matters to you," she whispered, her voice already groggy. Hatter turned his head to rest his chin on top of her hair, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"It does."

"I trust him, Hatter. I always have," Alice said and he sighed again.

"I know, Alice." He heard her breathing even out and knew that she had fallen asleep. "Maybe that is why it matters." Hatter rubbed his cheek against her hair and tightened his grip as much as he dared with his right hand to hold her close. Deciding to think about it some other time, he shut his eyes and fell asleep while leaning against the tree with Alice in his arms.

Something hard poked at the base of his boot, irritating him as Hatter started to open his eyes and was nearly blinded by the dawn's light trying to penetrate the fog.

"Time to get moving," the Knave said from somewhere above him. Hatter groaned, trying to sit up and feeling the weight on his chest that held him down. Cracking an eye open, he smiled as he saw Alice still sound asleep and lying half across him with one leg over his and her arms curled around his waist. She gave a faint murmur as she woke, her face burrowing against his chest.

"Come on, sunshine," Hatter murmured. "You've drooled on me long enough."

"I don't drool," Alice whispered without opening her eyes.

"Right. Let's hope my coat agrees with you," he said with a grin. "The others are getting ready to go."

Alice gave a groan before she pushed herself off of him and stretched languidly. Putting her arms by her sides, she gave a puzzled look as she heard the strange whispering and moaning. "What is that?"

"Eh?" Hatter asked as he picked himself up and stretched. He used his foot to flip his hat into the air and caught it with his hand. Shaking out his coat, he dusted off his silk shirt meticulously.

"That whispering, what is that?"

"Oh. That's probably the trees. Happens sometimes, depends on what trees were planted and when. You get used to it, probably won't hear it when you do," he explained. She made a face and shrugged, walking to the brush. Charlie and the Knave were both packing food into leather saddlebags, murmuring between themselves about nothing at all. Hatter went to the water barrel left near the shed and quickly ducked his head in, yelping at the icy water that was like a slap in the face before he shook his head and dried his face with his sleeve.

"Morning," Alice greeted the Knight as she re-emerged from the bushes and Charlie smiled broadly at her.

"Justalice, how was your rest?"

"I slept," Alice answered with a smile. It was a few minutes before Hatter joined them and was followed closely by an equally groggy Jack.

"We can only manage some supplies. We had better hope that the game is good," the Knave explained as he hefted one of the bags onto his shoulder. Hatter retrieved his and checked the contents quickly.

"Ah! Yes, Harbinger, I have something for you!" Charlie exclaimed. He grabbed hold of Hatter's arm and tugged him to the horses. "Guinevere was quite been mourning your loss and she would be delighted to carry you once more."

Hatter was oddly touched by the gesture. The chestnut mare gave him a snort and butted up against his arm. " 'ello, lady. Still as pretty as ever," he said as he gave her a pat.

"She is a most worthy mount and as his Majesty told me that your horse was injured, I have decided to lend you Guinevere once more," Charlie explained. Hatter grinned at him and gave Charlie a clap on the shoulder.

"Charlie. You're one in a million," he said and the Knight actually blushed.

"So my Nan always told me." The Knight gave an odd sniffle. "Best be going. Dawn is always a wonderful time to travel you know."


	8. Down the Rabbit Hole

 

It was only an hour outside of the kingdom when they found themselves entering a dark and swampy wood that contrasted the Forest Road severely. The only markers that seemed to say they had entered a new place were two simple castle towers that stood only six feet apart. There was nothing remarkable about them but the air immediately changed, seeming more dense and cold than before. Birds lined the tree branches to stare at them as they picked their way carefully through the boggy paths. Jack eyed the creatures warily as he led the way, Charlie singing under his breath as usual and disturbing his concentration. But to tell the White Knight to be silent almost seemed cruel so Jack said nothing. The paths were clear and easy to follow, almost too easy to follow, and the Knave rode at the rear of the group to watch the paths. He did not tell the others that once his horse stepped in the others' prints that the path faded away. He expected this from the strange Taiga, anticipated it but he knew that to say anything could cause more tension.

As it was the paths were becoming more and more twisted.

Jack looked up, wincing at the overcast sky. The sun peeked out just barely and he glanced back. They were going North and from what he knew that was the right direction. They had not come across any of the border area though, nothing to show that they had gone from the beginning to another 'square' so to speak.

"I don't like this," Alice said behind him and Jack glanced over his shoulder.

"We'll try to stay North. Hopefully this runs to the border and we can see what we are really up against," he answered. Hatter for once was quiet and simply looking about himself with careful wonder. He had no memory of this forest, this dark swampy atmosphere foreign to him. The brown trees and dark brown moss gave no illusion of warmth and despite the birds the forest seemed dead.

"Finnegan and flan cakes!" Charlie suddenly exclaimed. "I remember this place!"

Stunned, Jack and Alice both turned in their saddles and saw that he had stopped his gelding. He reached out and touched a twisted black tree with his gloved hand, brushing at the bark. Black soot came off on his white gloves and he chortled unhappily at the sight. Hatter and the Knave both stopped behind him, leaning forward to see what he had discovered. There was a white carving in the tree trunk of a childish horse chasing a snake.

"Ah, in my youth these woods would be glorious. They were bright, the leaves all colours of fire and sunlight. All the children sent to schools in the lands would come here for picnics and learning jaunts so that we would remember how to get through the Taiga without fear," Charlie explained and Jack looked at him incredulously.

"Do you remember how, Charlie? Is anything coming back to your?" Jack demanded in excitement. Charlie gave the tree a puzzled look, tapping an odd rhythm on the trunk.

"Err.... ar....ah.... no." He sighed unhappily. "That was a long time ago, before the war, and I have forgotten too much. This place...I do not know this place."

"It's all right, Charlie," Alice said with a sympathetic smile. "We understand."

The other men mumbled their agreement and Jack sighed, looking back ahead of him. There was an odd shimmer just before his horse that had not been there before and he tipped his head on the side to look at it. "What in Wonderland?" he whispered as he urged his horse forward into the shimmer.

It felt as if his ears were popping like balloons and his skin was in a state of 'pins and needles.' Jack opened his mouth to cry out when the sensation suddenly stopped and he had to squeeze his eyes shut at the brightness. The swampy dark Taiga was gone, replaced by pale grey and white trees and fog-strewn paths. Jack shook his head and blinked to be sure he was not going mad but the woods were still there when his eyes opened.

Behind him, he heard an odd whooshing sound and three other gasps of pain and surprise.

"I think I prefer the Looking Glass," Hatter grumbled from behind. His horse snorted an agreement.

"This is...this can't be the same place," Alice said but then she drew in a breath. "But it is. I know it is."

Jack looked over his shoulder at her. "So do I. We must have crossed a border into what was the White territory."

"Technically means we're safe, eh?" Hatter asked as he stood in his stirrups to look over the foggy landscape.

"I'm not sure about that," the Knave answered. He looked at a stunned Charlie. "What about you?"

"I know this land not. My recollection of the White Lands was of pristine and calm beauty. This is like nothing I remember," Charlie whispered, shocked into quiet words. Alice bit into her lower lip as she looked around and saw the way the leaves on the trees and brush remained black. The birds were still in the trees, painted black and white with their strange eyes bugging out of their skulls like antenna.

"It's almost like a black and white movie," she said but only Hatter and Jack knew what she was meaning. The contrast was so vivid it was almost painful to see and Hatter met Alice's eyes, sensing her confusion.

"We should break here for a few minutes," Hatter said even as he slipped off of Guinevere. His legs were sore and he shook them out. Despite Jack's look, the others dismounted as well and he grudgingly followed suit. "Bound to be some water around here. I can see animal tracks."

"I'll go with you," Alice offered as she handed her reins to Charlie and grabbed for the spare canteen hanging from one of the many rings on Charlie's saddle. Hatter nodded and slipped a knife from one of his saddlebags before he handed his own reins to the Knave.

"Keep within shouting distance and run if you hear anything!" the Knave shouted after them. Hatter gave them a wave without turning around as he and Alice disappeared into the foggy trees.

* * *

"This place gives me the creeps," Alice declared as they rounded another bend together, keeping close when the paths seemed to blend into sameness. Hatter was nicking at the tree trunks as the passed.

"Not arguin' with you there. Think I'm feelin' my toes get numb, it's damn cold here as well," he agreed. He paused to nick another tree, turning a slow circle. She stopped to watch him, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to ward off the chill.

"Well, at least we're still steps ahead of the Red King," Alice said and Hatter nodded.

"Might be something. I still get that feeling we're being followed by something," Hatter said as he looked behind himself.

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Alice said as she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Something wrong?"

"Just a feeling," Hatter said and smiled at her as he helped her over another log. "A river or stream should be around here somewhere, I can hear water."

Alice listened over the crunch of their boots on the leaves and heard the sound of water running over rocks. "Well, that's a good sign."

"Very good sign. I'm not one for dehydration," Hatter answered with a wry grin. Alice pulled him to a stop, going beside a gnarled birch tree. Reaching out, she touched the bark and pulled away a hand coated in white power. Underneath the tree trunk was still white but she could see that the rest of the tree was covered in powder. Why coat a white tree with white powder? Alice thought to herself before turning to Hatter. He had removed his hat to run his fingers through his hair, obviously impatient to be going.

"Have you ever been in the Checkerboard Taiga?" Alice asked and he shrugged.

"Just when I was a kid and even then it wasn't like what it used to be when Charlie was a kid. It was just as weird but I don't remember much." Hatter licked his lips nervously and shivered. "Still don't like it."

"Not much to like," Alice said as she glanced down the forest path. The sound of water running was louder and she smiled, grasping the canteen tighter. She set off again and Hatter sighed, pushing off to follow her.

The moment the ground started to give out beneath her feet Alice turned to look at Hatter, her voice frozen in her throat before she could scream. Hatter shouted her name as she plummeted downward in a rush of dirt and leaves, her hands flung above her head as she fell feet first. She screamed then, feeling roots pull at her clothes and hair, felt them scratch at her hands when she tried to stop herself. Her fingers dug helplessly into soft earth as she twisted in the air. Hatter was screaming her name and she screamed for him just before she landed with a solid thud onto her back.

Alice blacked out for only a moment, long enough for her to come to with a raging headache and her wind severely reduced. Gasping for air, she opened her eyes to see Hatter leaning into the hole far above her, calling her name desperately.

"Hatter...I'm okay. I just fell," Alice called back up at him and heard him curse a streak. He sounded relieved and she arched her back as she felt how sore she already was.

"Alice, I'm coming down after you," he shouted and she could see him already pulling off his leather coat.

"Don't be stupid!" she yelled. "You'll get stuck or you'll get hurt. I'm just winded."

"Can you see a foot hold, anything?" Hatter asked, his voice tinged with desperation.

"No. Just dirt." Alice put a hand to her hair and cringed at the trace of blood from a scratch in her scalp. Pushing herself onto her elbows, she blinked and tried to focus her eyes. There was a blurry light at the other end and she forced her eyes to concentrate. "I think that this is just a tunnel or cave, I can see a light just south of where I'm laying."

"That could mean you are dying, Alice," Hatter yelled, truly panicked now. Alice growled in annoyance. "You remember that thing in your world! Don't go to the light"

"Hatter, I am not dying! There is actually light. I should be able to get out." Hatter disappeared from view for a moment and Alice found herself panicking. "Hatter!"

He reappeared quickly. "Looks like you found a good place to get stuck. If I go east which is your south...then it leads deeper into the forest where it gets all twisty and I need to get the others. Might need a rope or an axe or something, the brush is too much. Couldn't get lost easily, nah. Had to go and choose it so that I can't get through brambles at all!"

"Hatter, you're rambling."

"Well, you try it when your girl is stuck in a hole!"

"I can take care of myself, you don't need to panic!" Alice shouted up at him as she finally got to her feet, swaying dizzily.

"Oh, I don't forget that, believe me. You don't let me forget it after all," Hatter snapped. He looked down and saw her starting to stagger from view. "Alice? Alice! Where are you going?"

When there was no response he swore the meanest streak he could and ran like a crazed fool back to where the others were. Leave it him to lose Alice in the Checkerboard Taiga.

* * *

Alice swayed as she walked, focussing on the light starting to grow larger. What should have been easy felt like it was an exercise in torture and she wasn't certain how much time passed. The dry taste in her mouth, the dirt in her hair and the rip in her leggings made her more prone to frustration and she gave an angry stamp of her foot when she stubbed her toe on a gnarled old root.

"I hate this place now," Alice muttered. The tunnel suddenly opened further and she groaned in relief when the ground went from hard dirt to soft grass. She collapsed onto a fallen tree and leaned forward, staring at the ground to try to steady herself. It took some time before her stomach went from roiling to regular steadiness but the long minutes had let her head clear from the earlier fall.

Calm enough to move, Alice stood and began to pick the leaves off of her clothing. She shook the dirt out as best she could, grumbling with dismay as she realized just how bad the damage to her leggings was. They were torn in slices at the sides and no longer doing her much good to keep off the cold, her skirt frayed at the knees and cut at her thighs. "I look like a street hooker," she grumbled then laughed tiredly at the absurdity of it. Wonderland probably had never heard of such a thing and even if they did their version of it likely was women dressed in refined high fashion and not ripped stockings.

Hatter had not lied when he had shouted down at her about the forest. The cave she had just escaped lead into a steep hill and the trees atop were dense and twisted into odd shapes, blocking any view of the clearing that should have been far above. The light was dim here and she sighed as she looked back. It was an odd place of birch trees and fog pierced by sunlight, Alice realized, but with no real beauty.

"Yep. I hate this place. That is all there is to it," Alice said as she turned slowly in a circle, trying to find the best way there was to walk. "I hate this. Walking in woods, tramping over

"Well that is a terrible thing to say. What ever did the Taiga do to you?" asked an amused voice from somewhere around her and Alice whirled. There was no one around her and she tensed, slipping into a defensive stance instinctively. The trees were not thick and it was easy to look around them but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Who's there?" she demanded. No one answered her and she would have chalked it up to her mind playing tricks on her if only her skin was not prickling. "I'm warning you!"

"An Oyster threatening me? That one is new. Normally it is word games, a play to attract curiosity in exchange for reasoning," the voice answered from somewhere above her and Alice jerked her head up. High above her in the branches of one of the birch trees was a man lying on his back, one leg swinging back and forth casually. Alice put her hand to shade her eyes and squinted to see him. He was an odd looking man in ragged clothing, too far up in the branches for her to see his face clearly. All she could see was the way he was staring at the sky through the tree branches, wearing a pair of yellow tinged sunglasses to block the sun.

"Who are you?" Alice asked.

"For once, a sunny day. Normally it is just overcast you know but today is a day to spend sunning yourself in a blanket of fog. Wonderful," the man said, his silky voice soft but still carrying down to her. "I dislike this place, so drab." Alice looked around herself but could see no sign of a house or horse, nothing to say how he had gotten here without her hearing him.

"Where did you come from?" Alice tried and he gestured with a hand, pointing back to the East casually.

"I could give you a lesson on reproduction if you like. The black birds and the orange bees sort of deal," he offered. He finally sat up, leaning onto his elbow to peer down at her. Alice saw that the tree branch should have been too narrow to hold his weight but he balanced perfectly on it.

"No, thank you. I'm trying to think of a way back to my friends," Alice answered, walking off towards the hill again.

"Wait!" His voice seemed almost desperate and she turned on her heel. He relaxed the moment she came back towards him and resumed his casual poise. "You can't go up the hill. It is just one long bramble wall there, goes for a few miles."

"Well, which way am I supposed to go?" Alice demanded and he shrugged, lying back onto the branch.

"Could be that way," he pointed east then south-west, "or that way...or... that way."

His fingers waggled in different directions and Alice sucked in an irritated breath. "You aren't being helpful."

"Funny...I've been told that before," he said as if perplexed. "And it's funny because I am telling you the truth. Not because I am trying to be funny. I don't like humour."

"God, you remind me of someone," Alice muttered and he looked down at her. "Ever met someone named Hatter? I could swear you remind me of him."

The man didn't move, the glint in his glasses shimmering in the sun. "Which Hatter? Granted, that family line was nearly wiped out so the last time I remember seeing them was years ago. Is this one as completely insane as the others? I do hope not. Those ones got a taste for killing and betraying that was hard to get rid of. Why do you think they drink so much tea and asked unanswerable riddles? Gave them something else to do."

He said it casually but his words cut Alice without even trying. Throwing back her shoulders, Alice stuck out her chin. "Why are you here then? If you don't like it?"

He seemed to sense her red-herring but followed it obligingly. "I can't leave."

"Why?" she persisted. He sighed and lifted the leg he had hidden from her and jingled it. He was chained to the tree, the chain a pale silver that blended into the tree trunk. It led down around the base of the tree, a thin chain wrapped several times around.

"I was very, very naughty," he answered suggestively. Alice rolled her eyes and he put his leg back down. "Not really. I just happened to make the Lady very unhappy at some point. She chained me up here to wait for a time when she would like me back at her home and unfortunately since the war that time has never come again. I was her most brilliant guide; leading in tourists to experience the finest lands this side of Wonderland. That was my job."

"You were a guide?" Alice asked in amazement.

"I have lived here for years, though it hasn't always been this cold. Let me tell you that this gets very dull, sitting up here and talking to people who pass by. All it took was one silly mistake and the Lady shooed me out with a good beating." He sounded irritated. "There goes my place of prestige. She was kind enough to freeze my body in its state of being, so that I never aged. But what good is that when you cannot even go to a party or croquet game?"

"So you know the way through the Taiga?" Alice asked as she circled the tree. The chain was locked and below it a key hung on a ribbon just below the lock.

"Like the back of my hand. Well, lately my hand has gotten some new spots so I am not sure if that is the right phrase," the man answered. "Let's say I know it without having to think about it." He was staring up at the sky and humming away when she didn't answer right away.

"Why can't you just unlock yourself?" Alice questioned as she touched the chain. It felt icy.

"Not the way the spell works, Oyster. I only get let loose when someone who genuinely wishes to help me helps me. As you can imagine," he gestured to the forest, "I don't get much of that around here."

Alice decided to try to see what he knew. "I need to get to the White Manor."

"Lengthy trip. Few days at least, sometimes longer depending on the route you take, especially if you leap the wrong square. Then you could end up being devoured by rook birds or run through by the Black Knights. Miserable. I suggest you turn back," he told her as he rolled over onto his belly to look down at her, his right arm and leg both swinging now. The chain tinkled as he did so and Alice frowned. "Be easier."

"I'm not here to take the easy way out," Alice insisted and he was quiet for a moment.

"Indeed." Still unable to see his face, she had the feeling that he was smiling down at her.

"If I unlock you, will you help me?" she asked, having no other option as she pulled the key from the ribbon. When the others caught up to her, they'd still be stuck. If they leapt the wrong square, they could lose all the time they had gained. She didn't have time for this.

"Well, I suppose." The man stretched languidly atop the branch. "But why would you do it?"

"I need to get to the White Manor as fast as I can but I don't know the way. My friends don't know the way and we don't have time," Alice explained and heard a snort.

"If you want to know the problem with time, have a talk with the Hearts and Hatters. They created a ruckus over time long ago and ruined it for the rest of us," the man said. Alice guessed that he was trying to bait her and ignored his words for the time beginning.

"Answer my question."

"I've been chained for years," the man mused aloud. "A chance at freedom for a simple trip to the long dead Manor...worth it. You trust my word then?"

Alice stiffened for only a moment. A stranger but he was a chance she had to take. She shoved the memory of her giving Hatter a difficult time earning her trust far from her thoughts. "I'll have to," she answered the man. "But I swear, if you try anything I'll beat you to a pulp."

"Fair enough," he said. "But..."

"Fine," Alice said and unlocked the chain.

It slithered to ground, somehow unwrapping from the man's leg to land in a heap at her feet. The man stretched out his legs before leaping to the ground and landing with a bounce at Alice's feet.

"Oh...I think I may get feeling back in my toes," he said as he shook out his leg. The pinstriped trousers were ragged at the hem, as if he had walked some distance in them, and he shook out his tweed overcoat with a fine coating of white dust coming off the material. Alice stepped back as he seemed to shake himself like a dog with one hand lifting to remove his wire sunglasses. He sighed and turned his head right and left, eyes widening as he took in his surroundings.

Alice looked him over quickly, not sure what to think. He looked older than both Hatter and Jack with odd brown hair streaked with black stripes. It flopped into his cat-green eyes as he turned his head and stared back at her with some interest. He gave her a grin then and she stepped back again. The grin was odd, incredibly wide and as strange as it was mischievous. Even stranger were the odd little orange sparks that seemed to glint in his eyes as he looked her over. He seemed to find her manner of dress equally as strange as he raised an eyebrow and sent her a curious look. As if deciding to be polite, he held out a hand to shake hers.

"I'm Alice," she said before she took his hand and the grin widened further while he shook her hand. Unlike the others, he expressed no interest or awe at her name. Just grinned that strange grin and let his eyes narrow just slightly. The grin nearly shouted out his sharp intelligence as he stared at her in amusement.

"Chesh."

 _You have **got** to be kidding me,_ Alice thought incredulously.


	9. A Cat and A Mouse

"You're kidding me," Alice said.

"About what?" Chesh asked, his modulated voice silky.

"Are you actually a Cheshire Cat?" Alice asked to cut to the chase. He gave her a puzzled look.

"Of course not. A cat is pure silliness. Do I look like a cat to you?" She relaxed slightly. "However, I am from the Cheshire District was once the a north west section of the Checkerboard Taiga and is now long gone. The last of my kind since the others were betrayed in the war and I've been alone ever since."

"I'm sorry," Alice whispered, struck by the melancholy in his voice.

"So am I. Now, you want to go somewhere? The White Manor was it? I always liked to hand out pamphlets and brochures but I doubt those are in existence. May I suggest the shortcut? Works for two people," Chesh offered and Alice shook her head.

"My friends are coming for me, I need to wait for them."

"Then the shortcut won't work. Well, that is disappointing. Let's go and find your friends. I wager they are coming from the south east path and cutting through brambles," Chesh said as he started off in that direction. Alice caught up to him, looking around herself. The trees were identical here, nothing changing and all planted in the same distance from one another.

"Everything is all the same, how do you know which way is east?" she asked and he shrugged, still walking confidently.

"I just do." He gestured to the trees with a careless hand. "There's always little signs, you know. Wonderland is full of signs, you just have to pay attention. Of course, you do need a way to go first, otherwise it won't matter which way you go."

He sauntered in and out of the trees with his hands in his pockets. His yellow boots left no tracks in the ground and he started to whistle as he did so, an odd melody that went up and down rhythmically. Alice stayed behind him after a moment, looking around herself and trying to see what he had meant by signs. The strange birds in the trees were staring down at her from the tree branches once more, making deep squawking noises. As she listened to the squawks and the whistling, Alice realized that Chesh and the birds were keeping harmony with one another. Stranger things could happen, she supposed, but it was hard to know what stranger would be.

"How long have you been in Wonderland?" Chesh asked over his shoulder as he walked along. "Queen of Hearts knows that you're here?"

"She's been dethroned. Jack Heart is now the King. Why don't you know that?" Alice asked as she stared at the back of his head. He shrugged.

"Chained up in the Taiga, more specifically in the First West White Quadrant, remember?" Chesh answered. "My chances of getting news were rather unlikely. Thankfully I don't get hungry."

"What is a Cheshire?" Alice questioned, curious as she noticed that when he walked he literally seemed to stalk forward.

"Just a province. We're guides, since we can remember so many things. Historians, magicians and diplomats… well, we were that once," Chesh explained. "Come along, do you think we have much time for chit-chat? It's a good hour or so before we reach the end of the bramble wall."

* * *

The Red King stretched out his arms as he stood on the balcony overlooking the Capital City of Wonderland, his emerald eyes piercing through the red mists. The King of Hearts was missing and that was most displeasing to hear when he should have been killed at the very start. Who might have known that the boy would have more of his mother's brains than his father's? Winston had been clever but weak. Mary, Queen of Hearts, had been brilliant though; unfortunately she'd been born a woman but the Red King knew that from experience that women were often far more cunning when they had a plan.

Archibades turned slowly on his heel to stare at the pair of Knights bowing to him. Their equine heads were low, ears twitching as they listened for his rage and they seemed ready to run. It was the problem combining regular men with horses to form his personal guard; choosing a prey animal made them rather twitchy to deal with but he was a traditionalist. A King needed his true Knight Guard, even if they were weak compared to him. The Whites used a different form of guard and he had always considered them far more weak for it.

One lifted its strange head enough to stare at him. "We could not find him, my lord."

"I can see that, Sergeant," Archibades replied dryly as he tapped his fingers against his red chain mail. He looked at the second Knight, an old one named Sable who wore a black tarnished chest plate. His oldest Knight who had been risen to join him in this glorious coup of the throne and would have the correct answers needed.

"I took the new men, my King. Those transformed from Suits remembered the Heart's friendship with an Oyster responsible for the overthrow of the old Queen," he explained in his monotone voice. His tiny horse ears twitched. "An Oyster named Alice."

The Red King hissed in fury at the name, memories of what that name had meant for his previous rule still fresh in his mind though they were over a hundred years ago. "Alice?"

"A different Alice, my King. This girl left Wonderland some six months ago with a Hatter who also played a role in the overthrow," Sable explained. "The new Knights could not recall as to why the Hatter left, only that he had fought to keep her safe."

"It would not be the first time that one of the Hatter family protected an insolent girl," Archibades ground out. "And brought ruin to Wonderland."

"We went to this Hatter's 'Tea Shop' and changed those within. We found this," Sable said as he stood and handed the King a nylon jacket. "It is an Oyster's coat, sire. We can smell it. She must be back here so I took the liberty of sending my men into the Forest to look. We found one of the guardian lions decimated and a tree with a massive hole through it on the paths, and tracks that led to the Kingdom of Knights. There are five riders and all can likely fight. They have entered the Checkerboard Taiga, sire."

"So, young Heart is looking for what the legends claim will end my life," Archibades muttered. "Very clever. But stupid, considering its likely location."

"My lord?"

"This can work to our benefit, Sable. I need that Sceptre to truly rule Wonderland. They do not know its real purpose and I have no doubt that Jack Heart has hidden the Stone of Wonderland as well, likely on his very person," Archibades stated as he turned back to stare out the palace balcony. The City had indeed changed since he had been here last, since his imprisonment. It needed to be improved and already his red mists were travelling through the landscape, twisting the grass and flowers and crumbling buildings.

"This Hatter, my lord. He is of the family line that...if he is travelling with them this could turn out poorly. The King of Hearts and an Alice as well, they together are more dangerous. This could be dangerous to let them stay together!" the Black Knight insisted at his King's shoulder, taking a chance in trying to talk sense into his King. Archibades didn't answer, his eyes staring at the forests in the distance. His emerald eyes flared for a moment to a brilliant neon green and he grinned after he did so, turning his head to Sable.

"They are going to the White Manor I believe. Exactly where the plans need for them to go, especially the Oyster. It is wonderful Fate that she is going there. We could only have hoped an Oyster would be alive to help us though inadvertently. I think we should let them find it. The chances of them all finding the Manor...let alone surviving the Manor are rather slim. The Whites did so love their traps," Archibades recalled thoughtfully. He clicked his fingers against his chain mail and looked at the knight still kneeling. "We need to give them some encouragement. Perhaps we can pick a few off. The girl is the important one, only an Oyster can remove it from its hiding place. Leave her and this Jack Heart alive. Kill the others who stand against me."

He gave the kneeling knight a kick that sent the horse-headed man scurrying out the door to do as he was told. Sable sucked in a breath, an odd whistling sound past his horsy mouth. The Red King suddenly stiffened and whirled on the Black Knight, hand grabbing him just under the jaw so that he cut off his windpipe and squeezed

"And if you ever question me, Black Knight," he threatened as his power misted around them and seared at Sable's eyes, "I will be certain that my Examiners pull you apart, starting with your ears and leaving those ridiculous eyes of yours for last."

"I understand, sire," Sable gasped and the Red King let him go.

"You will go with the others and push the Oyster to the Manor. After she goes in, she will likely find the Royal Sceptre and that is what I need. It is what lingers there that will be of value though and we need her weak enough to succumb to it. But this Jack...I want to rip this Heart boy apart slowly so make sure he is alive enough for capture." Sable nodded, turning to go when Archibades drawled, "But before you go, send the Duchess to me. I need company tonight and she likely needs a reminder of who is her King."

* * *

The bramble border did last for exactly an hour as Chesh led Alice at a leisurely pace in the trees. Alice kept to his shoulder now, sometimes asking questions while they kept the brambles to their right. He answered without really telling her much, sometimes lifting his head and then changing direction, following some imaginary path that only he saw through the soft fog. Alice had resorted to counting their steps as she went, slipping into the habit to stave off her boredom. The forest had lost its interest for her now that she had realised that there was such sameness to it all and Chesh was relieved to not have to answer more questions.

"I think I hear your friends," Chesh said suddenly, jarring her from her thoughts. He stopped and eyed the woods to his right. Alice turned, recognizing the sound of horses moving and straining to see them through the fog and trees.

"Hey... Hey nonny, nonny. Sing no more ditties!" a terribly off-key voice rang out.

"Charlie, I swear that I may kill ye this time, eh. Just flat out kill ye," snapped a voice with a North Wonderland accent that was thick with irritation. The voice made Alice smile with excitement. Chesh had been watching her face and noticed the change in her expression, the brightening glow that came to her soft yet brilliant. He raised his brow in curiosity.

"Hatter! Charlie!" Alice cried out loudly and they heard a jingle of horses being turned.

"Alice?" asked another voice that made Chesh confused for only a moment as he read what lay in the voice. Concern, authority and sadness. How strange a combination in a young voice.

"We're right here!" Alice shouted just as a grey shape came running through the fog to pick her up clear off the ground. She laughed as the man swung her around and Chesh stepped back to avoid being hit by her boots.

"Gods, I was worried about you," the man said as he took off his hat and held her tightly. Chesh eyed him as he leaned against a tree while several other men came trotting in through the dense fog. The dark haired man seemed young as he held the Oyster almost indecently close, the girl holding him just as tightly.

"I'm fine, Hatter," Alice answered as she smiled up at him when they stopped spinning. Chesh eyed this newcomer with interest. A Hatter. The girl hadn't been spinning a lie. This was the Hatter...interesting. More interesting was the way that he looked at this Alice as if she meant his life. He eyed the other three and met the pale black haired man's eyes that nearly pierced past his own. Chesh stiffened in reaction, not liking what he saw, and let his eyes go to the others. A White Knight, the style he had not seen for years, and the other a fair-haired man just a touch older than Alice.

"We've had to take the long way around," the man said with a trained elegant voice. The man turned blue eyes onto Chesh with a coldness that made Chesh give him a slow grin in return. Like Alice, the fair-haired man recoiled slightly. "Who is this?"

"This is Chesh. He helped me find my way," Alice said as she and Hatter parted from their embrace. "He was in a tree, chai..."

"Resting. I'm from the Cheshire district," Chesh interjected quickly and ignored the curious look she gave him.

"Chesh, this is Jack, Charlie, Hatter, and the Knave," Alice introduced, pointing to each, The White Knight gave a bow but the Knave tipped his head on the side.

"The Cheshire District? That was obliterated when the Queen of Hearts destroyed the Whites. She wanted to get rid of every magic she could," the Knave said slowly. Jack and Hatter both looked at Chesh and then at each other. Cheshire Cats were dangerous enough, what about actual Cheshires?

"So that makes me the last, doesn't it?" Chesh answered easily, lowering his sunglasses down his nose. "Your girl Alice here asked me to lead you all through the Taiga."

"What makes you think we need your help?" asked the Hatter as he stood beside Alice. Chesh stared back at him and grinned.

"Clearly you do."

"I prefer to keep our company small," Jack stated, looking at Alice meaningfully as he handed over reins to Hatter. Alice gave Jack a perplexed look. "Though we thank you for your offer to help."

Chesh shrugged in acceptance and watched as Jack led the others off back where they had come from, striding with the confidence only aristocrats could have when they had no idea where they were going. He cleared his throat and shouted down after them, "You're going the wrong way."

Hatter and Alice turned first as they had yet to mount up on their horses. Jack wheeled his horse around after a moment and came back to where Chesh was still leaning against the tree. "How do you know?" he demanded.

"Please. I used to work as a guide through here, for the Lady who once operated the Mock Turtle Inn. You were all about to hit a reverse border that likely would have plopped you right back at the beginning. I know this Checkerboard Taiga like the bottom of my boots," Chesh answered as if offended by Jack's questioning. Jack gave him a troubled look and the others came to a halt beside him. Hatter looked over Chesh and then looked at Alice. She met his eyes and Chesh noticed how the young man tensed.

"I trust him, Hatter. He didn't have to bring me this far and he did," she insisted. Hatter made a face and rolled his eyes to the sky, not answering as he turned around. Alice looked up at Jack. "Jack, we've got no other option. We're already risking a lot just going to the Manor and if the Red King comes after us..."

"Red King?" Chesh asked while he wiped his sunglasses clean.

"The Red King Archibades has risen from the dead to steal the kingdom from the rightful heir his Majesty Jack Heart," Charlie said suddenly, having been remarkably quiet until now. Chesh flicked his eyes over Jack, handling the information with disinterest.

"I'm not a fan of politics, your Majesty. Don't care for them at all. But I owe your Oyster a favour, so I can get you there," he offered. "But if you insist, I can go back to my

home without worry. I suggest you go in that direction."

Jack looked at the Knave, who shrugged. "Fine. We do need help to get through the Taiga properly. Knave?"

"I'll take him up behind me. Give us a chance to get acquainted," the Knave offered and Chesh rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I prefer to walk," he snapped but the Knave grinned.

"I insist," he declared. Chesh huffed in annoyance, watching as Alice mounted her horse and she and the Knight began to ride to ride in the direction Chesh had pointed out. Jack and the Knave both looked at each other as Hatter stepped forward, dropping Guinevere's reins. Chesh smiled at him as the young man gave him a friendly seeming nod.

"I haven't heard of your family in a very long time, Mr. Hatter," he offered. The young man's smile suddenly dropped and Chesh wasn't ready for the iron grip that suddenly clenched around his throat, pressing him into the tree. Chesh choked in surprise, eyes bulging at the incredible strength in that right hand. Behind Hatter, Jack and the Knave made no move to stop him, Jack even urging his horse to block Hatter from Alice's view should she look back.

"Listen," Hatter said, his voice quiet. "Alice trusts you, which is fine. I would do anything for her. But Cheshires have a reputation for trickery. If I get a tick that somethin' is off about you..."

"I think we all will take care of that matter," Jack continued. Chesh met Hatter's eyes, his cat-green eyes flashing but Hatter didn't react. He was too consumed with sudden hurt and anger to care that he had a magical Cheshire pinned against a tree.

"I told your Oyster I'd help her and I will find the way for you," he repeated. Hatter gave him a cool smile.

"See that you do." He released Chesh quickly, smiling at him suddenly as he gave him a pat on the cheek. "This trip keeps gettin' better. More and more friends."

He stepped up onto his horse and waited while the Knave pulled Chesh up behind himself. Chesh, bewildered by the personality change in Hatter, met Jack's eyes as he rubbed at his throat. The young King met his with remarkable calm and disinterest as Chesh adjusted his grip on the back of the Knave's saddle. The Cheshire disliked being on the back side of a horse, hated horses anyway, and this trip was suddenly more torturous than he had anticipated. As if reading his mind, Jack rolled his eyes and clicked to his horse, trotting after Charlie and Alice.


	10. A Sealed Move

 

Astonishingly (to the men that was), Chesh was good to his word as he guided the small group through what he called the Ivory Woods. His explanations were vague as to how he knew how to get through the Checkerboard Taiga, though he told them that if you were able to get some measure of distance above the trees you would be able to see the different between each massive squares of woods. They were moving as mixed pieces, he mentioned when Alice had asked if they were pawns. Since there were more than two of them, they would have to complete a series of moves as they would in chess. The Taiga had rules that needed to be followed, rules that could not be broken.

The Ivory Woods were brilliant, he explained, but the further they went the deep the danger would get if they were not careful of the way they went. He didn't explain how he could find the way with such ease but Alice deciphered that he was doing far more looking around than he was admitting to. He was being very careful to guide them properly, despite the trickery she felt he would be liable to do. Yet with his guidance the trek was uneventful at best. Boring even. Charlie's singing hadn't dulled for a moment, the Knave riding half-asleep, Jack still leading with quiet authority and Hatter amusing himself with a few hat tricks that made even the Knave look up. To see a simple fedora seem to bounce in the air and then to his head took some of the dullness away from riding in the dull Woods.

It took the rest of the day to travel through the Ivory Woods and they were all sore and ready for rest by the time the moon rose. Chesh had been willing to move on, still energetic but they were still exhausted from their journey through the first Black Square of the Taiga. Alice was thankful the moment she unwrapped her legs from her horse and sensed that her horse felt the same. Making camp had been a quiet affair as they were all too tired to say much. There were no arguments, no story telling. Just a resigned quiet that made it seem far worse than an argument.

"So are we any closer to a border?" Jack asked Chesh as he fed the fire. Chesh had climbed into a tree, lying atop a branch the way he had when Alice had found him.

"I figure we hit the end of our shape. We crossed two diagonals today but now we have to move differently…L-shape I think. We'll probably have to get into the Black Forests soon to cross over. Luckily, we can move faster that way with the border shimmers," Chesh answered. "Out of curiousity, has no one noticed the reasons for our moves?"

"We're movin' like chess pieces from the one side of the board," Hatter said from where he stood. Chesh glanced at him, disappointed that his fun had been ruined. When Alice looked at him, Hatter glanced up and began to point at them. "King: Jack, Queen: Alice, Knight: Charlie, Knave: Bishop, me: Rook." Hatter looked at Chesh. "Just can't think of what you are yet."

Chesh shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just a pawn in this game." He put his arm behind his head and sighed, making a show of closing his eyes. Taking his gaze from the suddenly quiet Hatter, Jack eyed him while the Knave unpacked his saddlebags, searching for food.

"We'll need to start hunting if we want to be on something else than tart pastries, bread and water," the Knave said. Charlie was humming away as he set up his hammock between two birch trees, tying it off and testing it to make sure it wouldn't fall. He didn't even bother to ask for food, simply plopped down and promptly began to snore. Alice raised an eyebrow as she passed him carrying their blankets. Shaking her head, she tucked a blanket around him and he made a soft murmur like a puppy being scratched in its sleep.

"I'm not too hungry. We could save it for the morning," Alice said and the men gave murmurs of agreements. Chesh seemed to fall asleep immediately, the Knave and Jack exchanging a look. The Knave sat down beneath the tree where Chesh slept, Alice giving Jack a curious look that he ignored as he shook out the blanket she handed him and propped himself against a saddle.

"Knave, you are fine with watching and keeping the fire going?" he asked and his second gave a nod.

"I'll be on the alert, sire," the Knave answered. As Alice watched, he seemed to stiffen up though his eyes went a soft lavender colour.

"Is he a robot or something?" Alice asked Jack before he closed his eyes. Jack shook his head.

"Not quite. My mother altered him before she imprisoned him for helping me. Makes him a decent guard to have. Get some sleep, Alice. We have a long ride tomorrow," Jack ordered gently as he turned his back to the fire and huddled beneath his blanket. Alice sighed in exasperation and turned to the only other person awake.

Hatter was sitting against a fallen log near the fire, his eyes staring into the flames. She had never seen him look so pensive as he did then, his hands rolling his hat between them absentmindedly. Tipping her head on the side, Alice sat beside him.

"Hey, come back to Wonderland," she whispered and he looked over at her.

"Hi," he said with a smile. His face seemed lined with exhaustion and Alice curled up against him. "You should get some sleep, Alice."

"So I've been hearing," Alice answered dryly. Hatter put his arm around her waist and she sighed before she sat up on her knees and took his face in her hands. He met her eyes tiredly and she smiled into his before she felt her heart start to pound suddenly. Hatter's own eyes slipped half-shut and he reached his hand up to cup her face, drawing her face to his. Alice closed her eyes shut as he kissed her, hands clenching his shoulders as she shivered. Hatter tipped her head slightly and the kiss grew in intensity when she gripped him harder. He searched her mouth with his tongue, his fingers sliding beneath her coat to gently graze over her breasts and ribs in a gentle caress. Her body pressed into his, feeling the desire between them pull at her senses.

He broke the kiss before it could deepen further and took a shaky breath as he opened his eyes. Alice opened her own and licked her lower lip, her desire clear enough for him to read. "We need to get some sleep," Hatter managed barely. Alice blinked, sinking her teeth into her lower lip as if she wanted to say something before releasing her lip and sighing. She nodded, not moving from his side and making it clear she was not about to move. Gesturing with her hand for him to move over, Alice put a blanket on the ground and then held another up. Hatter smiled and lay on his side, Alice scooting down to lay beside him, her back to his front as she tucked the blanket under her chin. He hugged her close, his left arm cushioning his head as he stroked her arm absentmindedly. They were quiet for a long time, Alice's breathing even and relaxing him.

"Hatter?" Alice asked groggily. "We need to talk."

"Hmm?" He waited for her to continue but she seemed to have fallen asleep before she could finish her thought. Smiling, Hatter sighed and looked away from her dark head to stare at her arm. She had stretched it out in her sleep as if to feel the warmth and he trailed his fingers over her soft skin, watching the way the flickering flames cast an orange shadow on her skin. Seeing his own fingers on her skin, Hatter lifted his hand and stared at it, catching the way his hand seemed to darken in colour just slightly. He squeezed his fingers into a fist and then flared them out again as he stared at his hand. Giving a shake of his head, Hatter rested his hand on Alice's once more and slipped his fingers through hers. Unable to help it, he stared at their entwined fingers before he started to drift into a doze once more.

_"Wake up!" a deep voice said as Hatter felt himself poked in the ribs with a boot. Groggy, he opened his eyes and looked up into the heavily lined face of a man wearing round spectacles and wearing head to toe brown leather._

_"Haigha?" he muttered, remembering to pronounce the word like 'mayor'._

_"God, boy. I can't wait ta see wot's gonna happen when ye reach the age of maturity. Lazy, ye are," the man answered as he scuttled back from where Hatter lay. Blinking away sleep, Hatter realised that Alice was not around him, that the camp had changed into a tiny cramped junk closet littered with watches and jam pots. He was dressed in plain black clothing as well, a faded insignia of a checkerboard on his chest._

_"I'm dreaming," he declared in relief. Of course he was dreaming, Haigha was..._

_So this was a memory then._

_"They're comin', Hatta. Promised your Da I'd keep ye save and I 'ill. Sundries are in yer bags. Remember that ye are to go direct-like to Dodo. He's been waitin' to see ye since I found ye in the lower streets connin' those addicts. Direct-like ye go and ye do what he says," Haigha stated as if he hadn't heard Hatter. He was grabbing various items from the densely packed shelves. " Unlikely, this all is. But it's happenin'. That damned queen..."_

_"Haigha, calm down," Hatter started. Fiery pain lanced up his chest when he tried to move and he glanced down to see familiar cat-gut stitching trailing up and down his skin. He slipped back into his memory easily then._

_"Don't go rippin those out! I spent hours gettin' you betta, Hatta!" Haigha scolded as he shoved the boy down. Hatter hissed at the pain, watching as Haigha suddenly showed him a biscuit tin. "Got these a long time ago, from the Red Queen 'erself for doin' such a wonderful job findin' her jewellery. She said they'd give me strength to protect me-self but I never took one. I hold no cards with the old magics."_

_His thick Northern accent was getting thicker and thicker, his face beginning to show signs of his fear. The greatest warrior the Resistance had had, the one who had begun it, was terrified and Hatter felt his own heart start to race with panic._

_"What're you sayin'?" Hatter asked. Haigha shrugged._

_"I did say I'd protect ye," Haigha declared before removing the lid. Hatter stared at the golden biscuits inside, coated with what looked like red and white icing._

_"They're biscuits, Haigha," he stated, somehow disappointed._

_" 'Course they are. Insolent puppy," Haigha muttered, picking up a biscuit and promptly shoving into Hatter's mouth. "One time I'll have you keepin' quiet."_

_Hatter chewed slowly as he watched Haigha go to the window, his hands near the red and blue buttons that suddenly appeared on the wall. The biscuit was terribly dry and his throat protested as he managed to choke down half. Haigha whirled and looked at the door. Without speaking, he hit the blue button on the wall and the bed suddenly fell beneath Hatter. He yelled out as he fell, landing into a metal crawl space that had been built beneath the bed. The biscuit lodged in his throat and he choked, rolling to his stomach and gasping for air before half the biscuit flew out of his mouth. Hatter trembled, still swallowing crumbs as he tried to see in the new darkness._

_Above him in the junk room he could hear Haigha talking. There was silence for only a moment before the blast of guns and electrical rods and Hatter stared, listening as Haigha screamed in pain. Rolling to his back, Hatter began to try to find the latch that would let him back into the room. His nails dug into the wood desperately as agony ripped through his body and he pulled his fist back, slamming it into the metal door._

_It split beneath the power of the blow and Hatter struggled to focus as he pulled himself up and into the room. Haigha was gone, as were the Suits who must have come to capture him and leaving only a pool of dark blood. Hatter choked on his own bile as he rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling as the agony continued up his body and seemed to linger against his right arm and shoulder._

_Curling up onto his side, Hatter stared at his right hand until his vision grew dark._

Hatter's eyes flew open as he heard a faint moan, the sound drawing him out of his nightmares. He stiffened instinctively until he remembered who it was sleeping in his arms and then smiled, pushing his face into her hair. Alice gave another sound, this one almost pained, and he lifted his head to see what was bothering her.

His right hand was clenched tightly around her hip, his dream having tensed his entire body it seemed. Shocked, Hatter lifted his hand from her hip and clenched it into a fist. He could just make out the imprint his fingers had caused in the soft material of her coat. Alice twisted around in his arms and pressed herself just beneath his chin, murmuring in her sleep. Hatter trembled as he drew her as close as he could, the memory of Haigha suddenly too fresh for him to bear. He clenched his right hand and pressed his cheek against the top of Alice's head.

* * *

If Alice remembered his hard grip last night, she showed no sign of it in the morning. She was gone from his side by the time he woke up to the sound of Charlie still snoring away like a Jabberwock and the blanket was cold where she should have been. His brain snapped to alert quickly as he strained to see her through the morning fog that had settled across their camp. "Alice?" he called out and saw her dark head poke up from across the fire pit.

"We're getting ready to leave," she answered as she walked back to him, giving Charlie a gentle shake as she passed him. The Knight yelped and promptly fell from his hammock in a twist of limbs and white pyjamas.

"I was not asleep! I was guarding this very camp, perusing the trails with my third eye in the great fog of time and space," Charlie declared as he leapt to his face. Alice gave him an odd look.

"Okay, Charlie. I believe you," she said and Charlie smiled, turning his bright eyes to Hatter as if to say 'see, she believes me'. Hatter stretched himself out, longing for a hot cup of tea and a hot bath. Perferably a hot bath with Alice. His devilish thoughts weren't helped as she reached across him to grab her coat where she had set it, her breasts brushing his chest.

"Chesh showed me the river this morning, I was glad to do a bit of a wash up. I feel like I have powder everywhere," she complained as she tossed her long hair over a shoulder. Hatter reached out, ready to touch the dark locks but she turned around toward him and he dropped his hand.

"Right. Where is said cat?" he asked.

"He's not a cat," Alice said pointedly.

"Might as well be. I'm not crazy about cats to begin with," Hatter drawled. "For one thing, they do things completely opposite of dogs. Growl when they're happy and wag their tails when they're angry. Ridiculous."

"I assure you," Chesh said from where he had been relaxing in his tree. "That my tail barely wags at all these days, Hatter."

"Comfortin'," Hatter answered as he stood and stretched, walking to where Guinevere was tied. Chesh turned his odd eyes to Hatter and looked him over from the tree branch.

"Rough dreams last night, Hatter?" he asked and Hatter turned his head to him. Chesh shrugged. "This place has a habit of bringing things to life. Best keep those deep within you. Else you might see the dead walking these woods."

Knowing he was being baited, Hatter ignored the Cheshire and gave Guinevere a scratch. The mare snorted, rubbing her head on his shoulder. "How you this mornin', darlin'?" he asked. Annoyed, Chesh glanced down and saw the Knave's saddlebags open, eyeing the tart shells that were lying with the bread and the small amount of icing sugar left. Grinning to himself, Chesh then turned his attention to Alice and slipped down from his tree to her side when she sat at the fire.

"So," Chesh said as he sat next to Alice. She frowned at him questioningly. "You and the Hatter. Lovers?"

"What?" she demanded lowly, cheeks flushing red.

"Well, it's just...I can pretty much tell...more or less smell the claim he has on you. Been together long?" Chesh asked. Alice was dumbfounded at his observation, her eyes searching his and seeing nothing but mild interest.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, just makes for curious findings when you two get to having a relationship in the middle of a quest to end a war," Chesh said with a shrug. He stood again and walked back to his tree, climbing it easily. Alice watched him before discreetly lifting the collar of her coat. Sure enough, she could smell the faint traces of cologne that Hatter normally wore and she closed her eyes as she brushed the collar over her cheek.

"What you doin'?" Hatter's voice jarred her from across the way and Alice put her hands in her lap primly, not quite able to wipe the guilty look from her face.

"Nothing."

"Phaeton's ghost. I slept on a rock," Charlie muttered as he sat beside Alice to replace Chesh, ignorant of the fact that he slept in a hammock.

As Alice handed Charlie a small hunk of bread, she noticed Jack and the Knave returning from the trail they had been walking on since early this morning. Jack seemed, for the first time, relaxed and the Knave strode with his usual bored swagger. The King had a satchel over his shoulder and gestured to Alice. Darting a look at the others and seeing them busy or eating, she approached him near the brush.

"You okay?" Alice asked by way of greeting. Jack nodded, the Knave walking on to the camp.

"I need to give you something, Alice. I need your vow to protect it as you did last time," Jack stated softly, his voice so low she had to lean forward to hear him. She sent him a confused look and he sighed, opening his shirt by a few buttons to reveal a chain necklace that lay against his chest. A ring dangled from it, a ring that made her start with realization.

"You brought it with you?" she asked as he pulled the chain over his head as discreetly as he could, his eyes on the others the entire time while he used Alice's slight body to block the sight of what he was doing.

"Yes. I've carried it since you left. If I am captured, they will think I have it. They will not suspect I would give such a valuable magic to someone else. I can trust no other with it, Alice. I trust you," he said as he took her hand and pressed the dark ring into her palm. The chain was still warm and she lifted her head to look in his eyes, ignoring his words.

"You should have given this to the Duchess. She is your fiancee," she pointed out and saw his jaw tighten.

"So she is," he agreed and Alice had the sudden urge to clock him one.

"Jack," she said sharply, "this is not fair. To you or her. Why aren't you racing back through the forest to save her?"

"She was the one who ordered me gone. Against my will."

"So she saved your life."

"Yes, though why I'm not certain. Whatever we could have had had cooled by the time this all happened," Jack explained and Alice rolled her eyes.

"You are so very dense, Jack. It is obvious that that hasn't changed with you or you would be racing back to save her," she snapped and he sent her a look that said he wanted to close the subject. "I'll keep it safe for you."

"Thank you, Alice," Jack started but she stepped close, for such a tiny girl remarkably intimidating as she came toe to toe with him.

"I don't know what is worse, Jack. That you cannot bring yourself to love a woman who so obviously loves you, or that you would still marry her and bring her misery by not loving her the way she deserves to be loved. You don't deserve her," she ground out between gritted teeth before turning and going back to the camp, the ring clenched tightly in her fist. Jack watched her go as he rebuttoned his shirt, the sharp rebuke stinging far worse than any she had ever given him.


	11. A Queenly Glow

Chesh had been close to correct, which impressed Jack slightly. He held no love for the old signs of a kingdom long gone, but the odd man was finding their way safely. They reached a strange area in the Ivory Woods early in their ride, Chesh now walking on foot after a skillful argument with the Knave that had left Jack's guard confused and conceding defeat. Chesh did not like horses, having spent years in a tree and years before walking all about the Taiga. The Knave was actually glad to be rid of him though he gave no sign of it. Chesh walked fast enough to lead, outwalking even their horses as he strode confidently along some hidden path.

"How can he walk like that? I'm still barely awake," Alice asked Charlie as they rode side by side. The Knight chortled, adjusting his shield from where he had hung it on his saddle. He made another odd sound in his throat before clearing it.

"Ah, well. You see, Justalice, Cheshires were of a magical nature. They were not like other Wonderlanders and it is likely he is using his magic to walk as such," Charlie explained as he swayed with Arthur's plodding gait.

"Magic?" Alice repeated.

"Oh yes. There are many kinds, mostly modern magics like the Stone of Wonderland, wherever that is," Charlie said. Alice looked back up at where Chesh walked, the feel of the ring on its chain suddenly heavy between her breasts. She frowned as she thought it over and Charlie saw the look on her face. "But there are some old magics still alive about this world. It is all in the finding of them."

Hatter, riding ahead of them beside the Knave, tipped his head on the side as he eavesdropped shamelessly. The Knave's eyes, now lavender and tunneled to allow him to see better into the distance, swept to the young man for a moment.

"So the Stone is new?" Alice asked the Knight and he nodded.

"Relatively. Compared to some of the grand sorcery in years past," Charlie admitted. Alice made a faint sound in her throat as she thought it over, her brow lifting as she thought of the way the Stone awoke the Looking Glass. That certainly seemed powerful to her. She didn't think she could handle anymore of this strange magic.

Further ahead of them, Chesh suddenly stopped and held up his hand. A grey glimmer was before him, shimmering in the sunlight like a mirror. "We went through one of those before," Jack said as he leaned forward in his saddle. His horse shook its head, agitated by the sight of the glimmer. "So there should be the next square on the other side."

"I can imagine that there should be but there is not. You may compliment my intelligence later," Chesh said. "This is a decoy." He turned on his heel and looked around them. Running a hand through his hair, he lifted an eyebrow and raised the hand into the air. As they watched, his hand seemed to shake in the air as if he were fanning the low fog away. There was a rush of air and the horses spooked slightly as the Ivory Woods disappeared, leaving only grey fog with no sign of trees or sunlight.

"What in Wonderland?" Charlie exclaimed and Alice swore under her breath as she stared into the grey fog. Her heart pounded in panic as the stillness hung around them.

"You've lead us into..." Hatter started, furious.

"A border square. A tiny one but if we go blindly into the fog before us we'll likely end up going back to the very beginning." Chesh turned to look over his shoulder at them. "Please don't panic. It's a waste of energy. It is just a matter of looking for the right way to turn. I just need something to help channel the way. Alice?"

She jerked as she looked over at him, seeing his cat-green eyes focused on her. "What?"

"If you may," Chesh said as he walked to her horse and held out his hand. She dismounted, confused by the friendly look in his eyes. He reached out and touched the gryphon tattoo still decorating her neck and brought her to the front of the group. "Oysters have a certain glow to them. Like a bit of a beacon, you know. With that lovely...mark on your neck, it certainly does lend more light."

"How is that helpful?" she asked lowly, uncomfortable as he stood behind her and gently removed her blue cord coat. Hatter, watching this with no small amount of wariness, clenched his hand into a fist. He was ready to dismount when Chesh reach out to Alice and lift her hand, but found his own arm being held by a steely grip. He looked in surprise to see the Knave shaking his head at him, warning him to relax.

Chesh grinned his wide grin at Alice, the odd sparks in his eyes like twin candles. "Have you ever seen a lighthouse before? We have them in Wonderland you know."

"Of course I have," Alice interrupted defensively and he grinned further.

"The power of the imagination is a strong thing, you know. Likely when you were a little girl you could lose yourself in your own world. When you grow older, you lose that imagination but the glow still remains. Let's use your glow to give us a hand, hmm?"

He turned her slowly and gently, cautious to not let her fall. The others gave each other confused looks though Charlie was riveted on the scene before him. Alice indeed seemed to glow, as she always did, but he had attributed that to her pale skin. Now though, in this grey fog, it was more obvious as she turned the circle with Chesh.

Alice felt foolish, not used to being stared like this. A class of students was one thing, a group of Wonderlanders eying her and Chesh as if they were mad was another. Magic didn't exist in her world, she thought to herself, and why would it when her world was what it was like? She was just a girl who, if it hadn't been for an unlikely chain of events, had ended up in this bizarre place. She certainly didn't feel any different and did not particularly like it being pointed out that she was remarkably pale. It was already irritating enough that in her world such paleness was frowned upon...

Suddenly, as they turned left for the second time, the fog seemed to lift just a bit, just enough that she could see trees through it. Blinking in shock, Alice took a step forward and the fog lifted further, revealing black trees and swampy land. Chesh stepped forward with her and lifted his hand again. He felt a faint throb of new energy and grinned as he looked down at a stupefied Alice.

"Now this...this is the way we are supposed to go." He strode off confidently in that direction and Alice stared, Jack riding to her side. He glanced down at her.

"I think it was one of your better ideas, Alice, to find him," he stated as he smiled down at her, watching as she pulled her coat back on. She looked up at him, her confusion evident as he rode on. He had been so against Chesh...

"What? Did you think that Oysters had only one use in this world?" Hatter said as he reached her side, handing her the reins of her horse. He grinned at her. "You are wonderful flashlights."

"That was impossible," Alice said.

"Many things defy imagination, Alice of Legend," Charlie said. "You being here for one."

"I'm just Alice, Charlie," she insisted with a sense of deja vu. The Knave was watching her now.

"I am starting to wonder about that, Miss. Alice," the Knave said softly before riding after his King.


	12. A Battle of Knights

_Many things defy imagination, Alice of Legend," Charlie said. "You being here for one."_

_"I'm just Alice, Charlie," she insisted with a sense of deja vu. The Knave was watching her now._

_"I am starting to wonder about that, Miss. Alice," the Knave said softly before riding after his King._

Hatter watched the Knave go, waiting for Alice before he pressed his own mount on into the fog. Charlie and Alice followed in single file, Charlie humming under his breath as he did so. Once again there was that odd rush, the pop to the ears, but no 'pins and needles' to their bodies. Instead, there was a rush of hot sensation that made them all gasp for breath at the flow of it in their veins. The horses shivered at the sensation and Charlie patted Arthur in reassurance.

The sensation did not prepare them for the utter bleakness of the Black Forest Square. It was such a vivid contrast, more so than when they had first seen it. They had been more rushed then yet now that Chesh had stopped before them they were able to take it in. Jack and the Knave had dismounted, taking in the scenery as Chesh did a slow circle. His brow was furrowed as if he were confused, his mouth moving soundlessly as he drew circles in the air with a finger. Alice looked around as they drew even with the rest of their group, Hatter and Charlie dismounting to stand beside her. The Black Forest was not like the Ivory Woods by any stretch of the imagination. There was no uniform design to it, the trees twisted and still black with powdered sticky bark, the fog dark grey and swarming around the muddy ground. Vines and branches hung too low for them to ride through and the light was dim. Charlie made an odd sound in his throat.

"Yes...now I remember. This place was beautiful once. So very beautiful," Charlie whispered beside Alice and Hatter. "Peaceful as well. Radiated light." Chesh looked over at him, straightening his tweed jacket as he did so.

"Correct, good Knight. These were once the Red Woods, in a permanent state of autumn leaves and dawn's light. Glorious in colour and renowned for their harvest of cobweb silkworms and flowers they once used for health and poison. Now, nothing but darkness and twisted trees, the only flowers left the poisonous. Pawn Flowers." Chesh nodded to the tiny white flowers that lined the bases of the trees. "This is changed, much more than I had anticipated," Chesh finished with a strange note in his voice. Alice looked at him as she led her horse over to him.

"How long has it been since you were here?" she asked gently, putting a hand on his arm and he shivered. Behind his yellow wire glasses, Chesh's eyes had a strange look in them; as if he was remembering something both important and terrible.

"Too long."

Hatter stared around himself as he pulled his collar up to ward off the chill. Unlike the bland beauty of the Ivory Woods, this one had a different menace to it in its chaotic structure. He felt uneasy, exposed despite the tight quarters of it, and went to stand beside Jack. "We need to get a move on," he said lowly. The King looked over at him, eyebrows raised in surprise at the desperate note in Hatter's voice. What was the man worried about now? Hatter seemed to read the question in Jack's expression and sighed. "You don't honestly think we aren't bein' followed? Don't know about you but I don't like bein' trapped."

"We are being followed," Chesh said as he turned around to face them. "Have been since we broke camp earlier this morning." They all turned around and saw nothing, causing Chesh to give an irritated sigh. Really, these people were impossibly dim. "Let's get a move on, shall we? Being followed or not, I've no wish to stay in this place for longer than I have to."

His affirmation had made them all edgy as they trod through the Black Forest, Charlie the only one seeming to be unconcerned as he stared in wonder about himself. He remembered such different times here, remembered better times and fewer worries. Times when such things as Royal Sceptres and the battles of royalty would be the worries of greater men than he. Charlie felt old, incredibly old, compared to the young people with him but he suspected that both the Knave and Chesh were just as old as he. They just did not show it like he did. Justalice, the Harbinger and his Majesty were the ones in need of protection and Charlie kept a careful eye out for trouble as they went along. He had vowed once to protect Alice of Legend and he would not renege on that vow. Not for all of the safety in the world. Though he did long for the safety of his own forest and his abandoned kingdom.

The Black Forest, unlike the Ivory Woods, was rife with the sounds of birds and animals, the trees moaning as if in pain. There was a distinct feeling of anger that pervaded the air and made Charlie feel uncomfortably tense. What had happened here? Even after the Queen's victory and the Checkerboard Taiga's abandonment, Charlie had thought the Taiga may stay as it once was. Nothing was the same, not this depressing dark forest or the ghastly perfection of the Ivory Woods. Yet, still, after all this time there was a tingle of magic in the air. As he led Arthur at his shoulder, Charlie wondered how he had managed to forget the magic in the Taiga, how he had managed to forget the pain that had been created here. They were moving slowly through it all, boots sinking into sucking mud puddles and burnt soil, giving Charlie plenty of time to reminisce about the glory that once was.

Before him, the others were walking just as slowly. Their own steps seemed bogged down by the mud, only Chesh moving lightly and easily. Alice skittered frequently, the heels on her boots low but still enough to grab and stick in the dense muck and grass. Charlie huddled his shoulders up to his ears to block out the cold damp air, his metal armour making a brief clink as he did so. He certainly could have used a hat. Or warmer gloves. Charlie sniffed. Most uncouth of him to think of such things, when nearly all of the rest were dressed just as poorly. He was a Knight, used to far more hardship and he would persevere.

As he followed Alice up a low hill, Charlie thought he heard a snick of metal on metal. Then again, he wore almost a full suit of armour. It was not worthy of mention, so he dismissed it from his mind as he blinked at the sudden light that surrounded them when they came to a wide clearing of dark green grass and a circle of black trees. The odd Cheshire creature was walking across the clearing, unmindful of the change of scenery but the rest were looking wary as Charlie took Arthur to the left to avoid a mud puddle. Rightfully so to be wary, considered Charlie as he heard another chink of metal behind himself. The others must have heard it as well and turned to look. They stared at him incredulously and Charlie puffed his chest out, wondering if they had finally realized that he was a Knight in his element.

The sudden cries of charging men and horses made him turn pale as he turned slowly to face a sizeable group of men on horseback racing toward them from the nearby trees. Pricking his ear, Arthur froze with wide brown eyes and Charlie made a squeak in his throat as he stared at the horses charging them. The horses were not flesh and blood but mechanical, stiff limbs stretched as they cantered over the short clearing to reach them. They were terrifying large, their bodies encased in hard iron and gears. Hatter yelled something out as he narrowly dodged one of the riders, the others following suit when their horses spooked and ripped their reins free. Only the faithful Arthur and Guinevere remained, Arthur like a shadow to Charlie as they both shook in fear. Guinevere darted around Hatter, nervously getting in the way of the iron horses. Hatter grabbed her by her bridle and swung her around, giving her a hard whack on the rump that set her off. Charlie was frozen in his place as the riders turned and came charging back around, swinging what seemed like antique swords. He may have found his courage once but it was a sticky thing to get free when such horrific men rode at them.

These were mockery of men; horse heads on men's bodies. These were demons, magically twisted creatures that slathered at the mouth. Seeing the White Knight clearly frozen in fear and not a threat, they ignored him and set about for the ones they had come for.

Alice dodged a pair of riders as they circled her, ducking a twin set of swords that sliced through the air. Chesh came racing back toward them, reaching a horse and lashing out. A crackle of energy flung from his fingertips to the metal horse, the animal exploding in a shower of gears and springs. Nearer to her, Hatter swung out his right hand and promptly decapitated a horse, gasping at the pain of it before he ducked a sword. Jack and the Knave were firing their short-barrel guns to try to destroy the animals, both having a thankfully deadly accuracy.

"Right, come on, Alice," she said to herself as she dodged another sword. Glad that she was quite a bit smaller and not much of a target, she struggled to see the real weak spot to these creatures. Then she saw it as one of the odd monsters made his iron horse rear at her, a glowing red button hidden in the curve of the iron horse's belly. Flicking her eyes about and keeping herself low, she rolled to her back and slammed the heel of her hand up. The button collapsed under her blow and the iron horse immediately froze mid-air. Alice somersaulted to her right and slid beneath the second horse, copying her move and feeling her hand nearly break at the force of the impact. The second horse froze as well, an awkward statue with its mechanical eyes dimming as its power went off.

The monsters growled something as they leapt from the animals and Alice recoiled as she saw their twisted horse heads. What were they? They looked like some odd knight chess piece, she thought for only a moment before blocking a blow from one with her hand and grabbing hold of the other, throwing him over her shoulder. She dropped after him, striking at the odd face with her boot and he made a distorted neighing sound that tore from his throat. He collapsed limp as if she had killed and Alice was shocked. The other knight grabbed her from behind, snarling in her ear as she twisted against him, trying to get her feet at the right angle. There was a faint whistle behind them and Alice ducked her own head in time as the sound of a fist slamming into the side of the knight's head vibrated in her ears. She turned into Hatter's waiting arms and he gave her a grin.

"Thanks," she said while his arms gave her a squeeze.

"Don't mention it," he began before he was grabbed from behind and dragged down. Alice shook her head and pulled the creature's arm forward, startling it and slamming her elbow up into the long nose. It shattered under the blow and the knight howled. Hatter caught his breath and she smiled at him as she pulled him up to her. He leaned into her to catch his balance and for a moment Alice forgot to breathe as she stared into his eyes, wondering if she dared kiss him in the middle of a fight.

"Don't mention it," she said just before a hand suddenly fisted in her dark hair and yanked her upward. Hatter reached for her and was kicked down, swarmed immediately by three knights who were all wary of his right hand now. She was pulled onto an iron horse and into a body that stank of horse sweat and blood. Furious at being caught, Alice beat at the strong grip around her waist and felt the hand in her hair give her a shake that caused her to bite her tongue.

"Alice!" Hatter shouted as he was pinned down, struggling to dislodge the heavy knights trying to crush him beneath their weight. Jack and the Knave were struggling themselves, Chesh dodging a blow before staring at the knight who held Alice with something close to disbelief. Charlie was no where to be seen, likely knocked down. Alice managed to look up and nearly screamed at the demonic horse head staring back at her dispassionately. Unlike the others, this one was dressed in black and red armour, his horse black metal and massive. He must have appeared some time after the others had attacked, waiting for a distraction.

"Check," the Black Knight growled in strange deep yet wheezing voice, snorting a puff of black smoke from his own nostrils. "I always longed for a pretty prisoner."

"I refuse your check! Alice of Legend, **I** am coming for you!" Charlie's sudden voice was warbling as he cantered Arthur across the clearing to them, brandishing his old sword heroically. "Release the maiden, you horsefly cretin!" Both Alice and the Black Knight watched in disbelief as the trusty little white horse raced forward and slammed into the iron horse, his narrow body surprisingly strong. With a loud squeak the iron horse went down and Alice and the Knight promptly toppled off from the metal animal, Alice rolling away as quickly as she could and seeing Charlie fall from Arthur as well. She went to him, helping him stand and holding onto his arm.

The Black Knight rose, furious as he stared at them. His equine ears pricked in shock as he stared at Charlie. "A White Knight?" he asked incredulously, head leaning forward as if he were smelling the man.

"The White Knight, if you don't mind," Charlie answered proudly as he stepped before Alice protectively.

Behind them, Chesh had finally moved and was aiding Hatter as best he could. He was not a strong man it seemed nor any sort of fighter, being slammed backward onto the ground. Alice was about to go to him when Hatter seemed to finally get frustrated with being pinned, lifting a leg and getting it to good position as he used his left hand to strike the knight in the side. She had convinced him on his first visit to her dojo to at least let her teach him how to use his left hand better in combat and it was a good thing she had. It made her proud to watch him as he launched the knight off of his body, sending him flying back and following him up. Hatter slammed his fist into the side of the equine face with far more power than he normally used, his face strangely blank as his fist crunched into the head and causing a crack of bones and a spray of blood. He turned to help Chesh and the others, and Alice looked back to the Black Knight, who was circling her and Charlie like a wolf circling prey.

"She is my prisoner," the Black Knight ground out as he pointed his sword at Alice and Charlie sniffed.

"I refuse your check, dark Knight. I have rescued her before you could complete it," Charlie answered as if he were reading some script or reading from Alice's copy of Through the Looking Glass. Alice blinked and looked at him, suddenly remembering what had happened in that book. The others were racing for them but Charlie held up a hand dramatically, halting Hatter and Jack mid step as they came close.

"Then I suppose we should duel," the Black Knight commented dryly, clearly unconcerned. "It is tradition after all."

"Of course," Charlie answered as he lifted his sword. "You are clearly a Knight of this Realm, as I was a Knight of mine. You will observe the rules of combat, won't you?"

This seemed to stun the Black Knight, causing him to stiffen in surprise and his horsy mouth to open and close. Charlie grinned pleasantly, having caught the Black Knight in a loophole. They were in the Checkerboard Taiga where rules were rules. Charlie was pleasantly surprised that the rules still held, felt the weight of them on his shoulders like a magical cloak. He really had not looked forward to battling the other Knight without them. The Black Knight lifted his sword.

"I always do." He retreated back to where his iron horse was picking himself up and Charlie went to Arthur, trying to get his foot into the stirrup. Alice followed him, shaking her head.

"Charlie, I..."

"Help me up, will you? I am getting old you know," Charlie requested pleasantly. Hatter came to his side, holding his arm firmly and keeping him from mounting Arthur. His mouth was bloodied, a rip in his coat exposing a narrow dodge of a sword, and his hat on a jaunty angle.

"Don't be daft, Charlie. You'll get killed, have you seen the size of that ... that... thing?" he asked and Charlie gave him a scathing look that told Hatter exactly what his opinion was worth.

"You're lack of confidence in me is quite staggering, Harbinger. This is my duty," Charlie declared as he pulled himself into Arthur's saddle. "As it is yours to be sworn Vassal to Alice of Legend, it is mine to be her champion!"

"Charlie, I don't need a champion. I can handle this guy on my own," Alice said, suddenly worried that her friend was really about to go through with this 'duel.' "I mean, I can fight, you know that. This guy would be no problem..."

Charlie sniffed. "Are you a Knight, Alice?" he asked proudly.

"No but..."

"Then as is such, stand aside and I shall save your maidenly honour," Charlie announced as he spurred Arthur forward, holding his sword strongly. Alice went to grab him but Hatter latched his arm around her waist, ignoring the way she struggled as he dragged her back to the others. The Knave was binding the fallen knights with a makeshift rope he stripped from the vines. Several were dead and Hatter caught a glimpse of their strange faces. The one he had destroyed was still staring through lifeless eyes and Hatter grit his teeth, looking away while he pulled Alice back with him.

"Let me go!" Alice snapped at Hatter as she gave him a hard kick in the shin. Hatter grunted and tightened his grip on her waist and hands. The Knave stood and came to their side, watching with amusement. Jack was looking around, confused, while Chesh was eyeing the rest of the clearing uneasily.

"Alice! Leave it! Charlie knows what he's doin'! Sorta!" Hatter ordered as he drew her closer and hoped she wouldn't rethink her aim anytime soon. "Hopefully!"

"He'll be killed!" Alice said and he promptly put his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"This is his moment. He is a Knight and this is what they do. Don't destroy his courage," the Knave chipped in for Hatter. Alice muttered something beneath Hatter's hand in response, her eyes glinting in fury.

* * *

 _A moment of glory_ , Charlie thought as he stared at the Black Knight across the clearing, _of true Knightly combat_! He had never anticipated such a moment and because of it his knees were shaking in his chausses. Arthur snorted beneath him, his ears flickering back and forth, clearly thinking that his rider had indeed lost his mind. The Black Knight had an amused look on his horsy face, swinging his sword in slow circle as his iron horse seemed to charge itself with electricity.

 _What I am thinking, doing this?_ Charlie thought in absolute panic. He should turn Arthur around and run for the hills. It would be safer and he'd likely live.

His hands were already on his reins to do so when he turned his head and saw where Alice was being held still by her Harbinger. She wasn't struggling but the Harbinger had a look of pain that showed she must have done some damage. Alice had been silenced, likely to keep her fear from overwhelming her, Charlie thought and he stared into her wide blue eyes from across the distance. Seeing his young friend terrified for him, he squared his shoulders and turned back to where the Black Knight sat his iron horse. He knew then that he would not let anything happen to Alice of Legend, especially at the hands of such a twisted mockery of what was once noble.

"Have at you, Black Knight!" he cried as he dug his spurs deep into Arthur's sides. The horse reared in surprise before landing heavily and leaping into a gallop. The Black Knight's own steed charged forward, its metal legs clanging as it ran. Charlie almost felt a break in his courage but swung his sword hard to the left as they nearly met head on. The move surprised the Black Knight and he was struck hard on his torso. He went tumbling down, as was the rule of combat, his horse stopping immediately.

Jack and the Knave gave each other surprised looks.

"Ha ha! First blood!" Charlie declared as he spun Arthur about. The Black Knight growled something and mounted up onto his horse. They charged each other once more, their swords locking for a moment as they strained strength to strength and this time the Black Knight's heavy sword slammed into Charlie's chest, sending him flying off onto his backside. Arthur trotted back to Charlie and nosed him, the winded Knight using his horse's mane to pull himself up. "A lucky blow!" Charlie said as he mounted up.

The Black Knight snorted. "You're old and at least twenty years behind on sword play. Luck has nothing to do with it."

"I may be old but I am not feeble," Charlie answered and raised his sword. "This is a battle for swords. If you wish a battle of words, I recommend the boy over there if you are not too cowardly!"

Exasperated but stuck with the rules of combat, the Black Knight raised his own sword and they were off at each other again. Those watching started to realize what the rules of combat were: the knights would strike at one another, locking swords occasionally. Whoever was struck had to fall promptly from his horse and remount quickly within 10 seconds or the other knight would have a chance to strike once more. Surprisingly, Charlie seemed quite good at the tumbling and remounting within 20 seconds. He just wasn't terribly good at the striking. The Black Knight was good at the striking but remarkably poor at the remounting, his considerable weight making him slow. None of the observers were certain exactly how one won this sort of battle but Charlie and the Black Knight seemed to know all the rules.

Alice squirmed in Hatter's arms, trying to get free to take care of matters herself but he was strong and wise to when she tried to bend him forward to flip him. _It doesn't pay,_ she thought, _to teach anyone the moves you like to use and how to block them_. Hatter's grip tightened as if warning her to stop it, having already grabbed her wrists in his right hand. She had been able to hit him in the groin once, his grip nearly slipping as he groaned but he had been too desperate to hold her. Alice would kill him later. Him and Charlie if Charlie survived. _No_ , she thought, _Charlie had to survive._

Charlie was starting to drip with sweat beneath his heavy armour, Arthur's coat patchy with it as well. The rules of combat meant that he had to continue to battle or forfeit, which would cost him Alice and there was no likely way that that would ever happen if he had a say in matters. He was her Knight and it was his duty to protect the girl from evil. If only it not mean that his shoulders and legs would get the brunt of the consequences to protection! His body was aching with each blow he and the Black Knight exchanged and he was rather out of practise. Out of practise or not, he was determined to win and he was clever enough to realize that the Black Knight was getting confident. If there was one thing that Charlie liked to do was surprise others. Unfortunately, there was no time to think of a clever invention nor use his Black Arts so he would have to rely on his powers of observation.

"Galladoon," he muttered as he narrowed his eyes and pressed the tired Arthur forward. The horse obediently cantered toward the Black Knight and Charlie decided to change tactics. Arthur was surprised by the sudden dig of a spur into his left side and responded immediately, swinging hard to the right as the reins drew him in. The iron horse slammed into them off balanced and Charlie rounded as hard as he could.

It was more luck than skill that let Charlie round a heavy blow onto the Knight's upper armour, his sword catching in the metal and slicing the tiny leather straps that held it together. The armour clattered free and Arthur gave a hard kick in reaction as it hit his haunches. His shod hoof slammed into the iron horse's belly and ripped out a chunk of wires. The iron horse chortled oddly, a brief puff of smoke from its belly appearing. The Black Knight shouted in surprise, more a neigh than a human shout, and fell with his horse as it fell completely apart beneath him. Cantering to the end of the clearing, Charlie and Arthur wheeled about as the Knight tried to unpin his legs, stuck now beneath a hunk of machinery that was nothing like the iron horse it had once been. Charlie gave him another ten seconds before riding to the Black Knight's head and lowering his sword to point at the throat.

"Do you yield to me, Sir Knight?" he demanded. The Black Knight opened his mouth to argue but the weight of the rules suddenly came crushing down on him. The Checkerboard Taiga's rules wrapped around him and despite his best efforts, he was unable to move to fight them. Nursing destroyed pride, he slowly dislodged himself from beneath the destroyed machine and lifted his sword. Charlie eyed him imperiously when the other knight went towards him, shaking his sword in frustration.

"I...yield," the Black Knight said finally, as if the words were disgusting in his mouth. His strange horse visage seemed to tighten up, the skin taut over the long bones as his mouth sneered. Nonplussed, Charlie nodded and in a surprising move held out his hand. The Black Knight blinked, looking up at him before taking his hand and shaking it roughly. No matter the result of the battle, the White Knight was determined to be the noble hero and not gloat. It was certainly tempting but Charlie simply watched the strange creature proudly as the Black Knight disappeared back from where he had first arrived. Giving a turn of the sword in his hand, Charlie straightened his shoulders before patting Arthur's neck.

"Well done, my brave steed. I shall sing your praises for years to come," he said and the horse gave an exhausted snort, eyes rolling as if to say that the Knight had better. To the others watching, they wondered just who had been directing who in that battle. Happily unaware of the horse's oddly smug expression, Charlie turned the horse slowly and beamed at the shocked group, his thin face flushed with his exertion and his tiny beard still perfectly curved.

"A splendiferous victory, don't you think?" he declared before he promptly fell sideways off of Arthur, unconscious to the world.


	13. Terrible Habit

They were still in shock for a moment before Alice pulled herself free from Hatter's now loose grip. "Charlie!" she yelled, dropping to her knees beside the fallen White Knight and patting his cheek. "Charlie, wake up!"

His eyelids fluttered and one eye cracked open just slightly. "If I may excuse myself, Alice, I would say it was a terribly wonderful victory."

"It was, Charlie," Alice admitted as she tried to lift his head for him. He was dreadfully pale and exhausted but his eyes were still bright. "You were very gallant."

"Mm, I was wasn't I?" Charlie agreed, eyes closing once more.

"Charlie!" Alice said as she shook him. Instead of answering, he gave a loud snore and she sighed in relief. Hatter dropped to his knees beside her and looked over the Knight, putting his hand on Charlie's forehead and checking his eyes. "He's asleep, Hatter."

"Can't blame him. That was quite a show," Hatter agreed as he started to unbuckle Charlie's armour, hoping to relieve the pressure. "He doesn't have any cuts, but I'm guessin' he's goin' to be sore when he wakes up. Help me." Alice lifted Charlie's head so that Hatter could loosen Charlie's collar and then looked up to see Jack handing over what looked like small piece of paper to the Knave.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked and Jack actually blushed.

"I owe him about three teaspoons of icing sugar now," he said glumly. The Knave was beaming but the smile faded as Alice stalked toward them.

"You bet on his life?" she demanded incredulously, shoving Jack hard enough that he narrowly escaped landing in mud. The Knave blinked at her, stunned by her outburst.

"Of course."

"He might have died!" Alice exclaimed with her shock clear on her face. Chesh, watching quietly until now, snorted.

"Please. The rules of combat are that the loser is left alive. The worse that could be done is accidental amputation," he drawled as if it were nothing at all. She ignored him.

"You bet on my friend's life!" Alice yelled at Jack and the Knave. Jack flinched, holding out his hands to ward her off as she stalked toward him. The Knave bravely stepped between her and Jack.

"He did not bet, Alice. I did. I hold bets with...things. A bad habit I admit but it is what I do when I am as rusty as I am now. When I am correct, his Majesty gives me back something I gave him," he explained lamely but her fury was still evident. Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair and praying she wouldn't leap on him.

"It is his system, Alice, his training. He needs to keep sharp and betting on strange things lets him keep his powers of observation clear. He has been out of practise for a long time but he's getting better and he's been of more use to us than you realize," Jack added. Chesh's eyes darted between the two men curiously as he digested the information but Alice stepped forward angrily, easily more terrifying than the Black Knight to them both. She opened her mouth to blurt out exactly what she thought of the apathetic Knave when a hand suddenly took hers, cool fingers lacing through her own warm fingers and tugging just slightly.

"Alice," Hatter said softly as he leaned against her side, "leave it. Come help me with Charlie."

Something about the raspy way he said her name made Alice relax just enough that she decided not to commit regicide. Nodding up at Hatter, she tightened her grip on his hand and took a deep cleansing breath. Hatter led her back to where he was still dismantling Charlie's armour, shooting a look over his shoulder at the three men. Jack sighed in relief and turned away to look down at the strange monsters they had captured.

Only they were gone.

"What!" he snapped and the two others turned with him. There was no evidence of the iron horses either; the only thing left was the knight that Chesh had taken care of.

"They must have been enchanted," Chesh offered as he knelt before the knight. Jack followed suit. "These once wandered the forests, jousting about with one another. Though their heads were once just helmets and they were men."

Jack turned the body over, ignoring the hideous head. The clothing of the knight was that of one of his Suits and he sucked in a breath. "The Red King has taken my men," he said darkly. The Knave nodded, kneeling and picked up the creature's hand. Hatter left Alice with Charlie to take a look as well, frowning at the sight.

"8 of Spades, sir."

"Red King?" Chesh asked in interest. "So this one is powerful indeed. How interesting, none of the Red Kings were never large on the magical variety nor accepting of it. Was why he banned my kind from his Red Forests."

Jack eyed him, about to speak when Hatter whistled under his breath lowly. He cleared his throat before speaking, "We need to get somewhere safe. Charlie needs rest. I think he's bruised all up."

The snoring Knight seemed to be in no pain but Jack nodded. "We'll move on as quick as we can, Hatter. Alice?"

The girl was gone, Charlie covered in a thick blanket, and Jack quickly turned his head the other way. "Alice?"

* * *

"Stupid stupid stupid!" Alice swore at herself as she paced in the woods. She could hear them calling her name but she was too furious with herself to answer. Nevermind a Black Knight in the forest, Charlie could have died because of her stupidity. She had let herself be trapped and grabbed like some helpless little girl, the very thing she had fought against since the age of ten. Never mind the rules and regulations of some bizarre forest. This was her friend and if she had just been careful he wouldn't have challenged that monster to a duel. He may have won but still Alice could not forget the way he had been struck. She had seen the grimaces of pain and the huge effort that that last strike had cost. Charlie was her friend and she felt strangely like she had failed him.

"I'm not helpless," Alice declared as she walked blindly into the forest, tears blurring her vision. "I'm not helpless!"

There was nothing to do but sit on a fallen black tree and stare at her hands until she was calm. They had all protected her, Hatter especially, as if she were some fragile creature but Alice knew she was anything but. She had spent years making sure of that. Was she getting soft? Had the bizarre environment of the Taiga lowered her guard so badly? There had been a time when she would have never let her guard down for anyone but she had done so, even blindly trusted perfect strangers while she still found it hard to sometimes let Hatter in. She had nearly been kidnapped and knew that it may have cost Jack his kingdom if she had been. Alice slammed her palms down into the log in disgust, not seeing the tiny vines creeping towards her.

_God, how she wanted a good punching bag right now so she could just let it all go!_

The tiny vines that had been creeping through the brown and black grass coiled around the heels of her boots, tiny suckers flicking out to grab hold of them. Alice couldn't feel it, muttering to herself as to why she just hadn't stayed home in the first place. Wonderland wasn't her problem, should never have been. She wasn't from here, Alice thought in a selfish moment, why was it pulling her so tightly back in?

There was a soft moaning sound when she was ready to finally get up and go back to the group, Alice standing to stare at the black trees and vines. Hatter had told her about the trees back in the Kingdom of Knights, likely that was the same sound but the moan sounded more human than the trees had ever sounded. Alice went to step forward and found herself locked in. She gasped as she tugged at her boots, finding vines wrapped around up to her ankles and holding her place. "What now?" she whispered as she bent to try to rip the vines from her boots.

A blur of blue racing through the woods to her left made Alice forget the vines, teetering unsteadily as she stood. The sound of moaning was gone but the stillness was gone from the Black Forest, birds twittering in irritation above her. Alice stared down at her shoes, her curiosity getting the better of her so that she bent and unzipped her boots. The mud and grass was cold, forcing her to clench her toes inside of her torn leggings as she took a few tentative steps forward. The air seemed colder as well and her breath fogged as she took short shallow breaths.

"Hello?" she called out as she put a hand onto a tree trunk to steady herself. "Hello?"

Peering around the tree, Alice looked around over the brambles and bushes to see a small girl curled up against a tree. The girl had lowered her head, weeping into her knees as she rocked back and forth. She was dressed in a blue pinafore and white dress, her honey blonde hair in pigtails down her back. The girl was young, maybe no more than twelve years old it seemed, and remarkably pale. She didn't seem to care for her dark surroundings, still weeping. Alice pressed against the tree, forgetting about the black soot, to watch as the girl held up two broken white ceramic pieces in her tiny hands.

"I didn't mean to!" the girl whispered as she turned the pieces over in her hands. Her hands were shaking, the pieces making an odd tinkling noise. Alice narrowed her eyes, noticing how they seemed to be like egg-shells. "I just wanted to know, to learn more about this place! I didn't want to cause so much trouble!"

"What?" Alice whispered. She wanted to go closer, to put her arm around the terrified girl and comfort her, but something about the warnings she had heard earlier kept sticking to her mind. She stayed where she was, her fingers digging into the black tree. The girl seemed to try to fit the pieces back together, clanging them hopelessly.

"He might have been a friend and I let him fall!" the girl cried out as she threw the pieces away from herself. Alice ducked instinctively as one of the pieces came flying toward her and hit the tree. She looked down and turned the piece over with her toe.

She cried out, whipping around and putting her hand to her mouth to still the cry that threatened to follow. Alice bit into her fist and turned back around, seeing that the girl had resumed weeping at the tree but the egg shell was still at her feet. It was hideous, red on the side she had turned over and dripping with yellow oil. What caught her eyes though was a single eye that seemed to stare back at her from the ceramic, an actual large eye that blinked once as if seeing her as well. Alice's stomach stopped doing its flips so that she could bend and stare at the egg-shell more closely. The eye blinked once more and she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat.

"There you are!" Chesh's voice snapped her out of it and she lifted her head to see him coming behind her, gingerly making his way over the mud. He held her boots in one hand and he gave her feet a pointed look. "In the mood for hypothermia? I recommend a good dip in a tub of ice water if you insist on that."

"Did...did you see her?" Alice asked excitedly. Chesh gave her a perplexed look and she pointed behind herself then to the egg shell. "The girl! She was right there!"

"Right. How hard did that one knight hit you?" Chesh asked amicably and Alice gave a hard look before looking back. The girl was indeed gone into thin air as was the piece of ceramic she had thrown. "Look, the others are starting to panic. I told them to wait while I found you but I bought you a few minutes. Have you had a good cry then?"

Alice turned surprised eyes to Chesh. "What?"

The wide grin was there again. "I am observant, Alice. It was clear to me what you had gone to do."

"I didn't cry," Alice answered while she stuffed her feet back into her boots. Chesh shrugged.

"I suppose not. It wasn't your fault though," he said. They began to walk back through the woods, him leading her with an unconcerned stride.

"What...what are you talking about?" Alice asked, trying to seem nonchalant. Chesh glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Charlie's a Knight. It's what he does. Not everything is your fault, Alice, despite what ways end up causing the means," he answered. The words confused her, more than she liked, and she stared with confusion at the back of his head as they came towards the clearing. The others were still calling her name around the clearing, Charlie still sound asleep. The Knave was bent near him, lashing some black branches and blankets together with bits of vine he had cut from the trees. Chesh cleared his throat and they all looked up. Jack sighed in relief as he stepped toward her beside Hatter.

"Where were you?" Jack demanded and she shrugged.

"I just needed some time to myself," Alice answered. Hatter made an odd sound in his throat.

"Couldn't have done it here?" he asked and she glared at him.

"No. I prefer not to." The two men seemed to draw some other conclusion from her words and looked away. "How's Charlie?"

"He's asleep. I think he'll be sore when he wakes up but he'll live," the Knave answered as he rattled his creation slightly. He grinned as if delighted and Alice approached him. The Knave stood suddenly, clearing his throat. "Miss. Alice, I would ask for your forgiveness." At her confused look, he held up the piece of paper Jack had handed him earlier. "I have let my personal needs overwhelm my good judgement. I swear it shall not happen again."

A little uncertain at the thin man's apology, Alice gave him a cold once-over. "I hope not."

Jack cleared his throat. "Come on. Let's get this thing lashed to Arthur. Hopefully the ground stays dry enough so that we can carry Charlie until he wakes."

The contraption was a sling and poles, crossing over Arthur's saddle. Charlie was snoring away as they lifted him awkwardly onto the blankets, the Knave tying a vine beneath his armpits to hold him onto the sling. He went to Arthur's head but Alice brushed him aside. "I can lead him. Hatter, lead my horse?" Alice asked over her shoulder.

Hatter saw the coolness on her face and knew from experience that something was wrong. "Sure thing, luv." Alice went to go by him and he touched her hand, grasping it lightly. She met his eyes, giving him a weak half-smile before moving away. Chesh watching the interaction rolled his eyes in disgust and cleared his throat.

"We've got about some good hours before dusk. Due to your White Knight's first move, we have to move in an L through the Taiga. Let's just hope that the Checkerboard Taiga lets us follow along without worry."


	14. Introspection

Hatter stared at the back of Alice's head as they followed the twisted paths. Chesh was moving remarkably fast along, the branches low so that they had to lead their horses through. Alice's shoulders were stiff and she seemed to have decided to withdrawn into herself, a move Hatter was unclear about. Something had disturbed her in the Knight Battle and he had a good guess that she was blaming herself. Only Alice, he thought wearily, would blame herself like this. The woman was as exasperating as she was wonderful.

Shaking his head fondly, Hatter glanced around himself. Chesh had insisted on shortcuts, being easier to move along but Hatter was hesitant as to whether it was actually a good idea. Normally he'd be all for it but something about shortcuts in this strange Checkerboard Taiga wasn't sitting right in his gut. And Hatter was a man who trusted his gut. Mostly. In most situations... They were slipping between the two types of Taiga, already past the third Black Forest. He didn't really remember the Ivory Woods square they had gone through and that seemed to be how Chesh wanted to keep it. Glancing up at the dim overhang of leaves, Hatter squinted to try to see the sun. It was well past five o'clock, which meant he had missed several occasions where he could have made a few refreshing teas.

Hatter was getting irritated.

More irritated because he had this unsteady feeling in his stomach about this Chesh and the Knave. He knew his stories, knew the rumours. There was the Knave for one thing yet Jack seemed to be completely unconcerned by the cold guard's lack of conscience. Hatter had seen him kill one of the Knights, had seen the cold precision that reminded him of Mad March in his better moments and the easy way he rearranged things to suit himself. Hatter was aware of the Knave's manipulations when it came to himself and Jack, he wasn't stupid. Jack seemed unaware of it though and that was rather troubling. He may not like the King, may consider him still a threat, but he thought that the King was more intelligent to see it. Not that he would ever, ever admit that to Jack Heart.

Then there was the matter of that magical man that Alice had picked up and trusted without second thought. Chesh seemed to be rather attached to Alice already and something about it was making Hatter feel uneasy. Hatter may have seemed oblivious when they had first met Chesh but he had been watching the Cheshire closely. Something wasn't right and he wish he knew what it was. Back in the City he would have known the ins and outs already, been able to make plans and be ready for what happened. Out here he could do nothing but wait. Hatter hated, absolutely hated waiting. Whether it was for a tea pot to boil, a job to come through...he hated it. He had the sneaking suspicion that he was going to have to wait for the last possible moment before he knew what Chesh's motivation was. Freedom wasn't it, he could have run easily...what was going on?

How did he tell that to Alice though without seeming like some jealous git? Jealousy was an emotion Hatter wasn't used to. Hopelessness, desperation, coldness, lust; Hatter had felt those in abundance. The latter quite abundantly around Alice these days. Though he wasn't sure if that emotion was the same as the other times he had felt lust. Lust would have been solved quickly enough but he had stalled on it, somehow wanting it to be more, feeling that it had to be more. He had followed her, quite certain that he had never felt so strongly about anyone else in his life. He had wanted that feeling to continue and it had through their three weeks in her world, growing stronger when she had come back to his world.

It had lasted, to the point where now the thought of losing her down a rabbit hole or in a battle with Black Knights was too much to bear. That the uncommon ease that she had in trusting Jack, the Knave and Chesh burned. Burned when she had completely distrusted him in the beginning of their relationship, still hesitated in believing some of the things he told her, when she was obviously hiding her anger with him when Hatter would prefer her to simple rage at him like a storm, to tell him what was wrong. Hatter was unclear if he was feeling simply jealousy about having Alice's attention...or if he had done something his father would have cuffed him for with a few choice words. No. He knew he had done something his father would have disowned him for.

_He had fallen in love with an Oyster named Alice._

He was his father's son after all and that was almost as frightening as the that terrifying, wonderful, falling sensation.

* * *

The Knave and Jack were riding behind Hatter, exchanging looks as they took in their surroundings. Every once in a while, Jack would reach out and nick a tree with his dagger, to be certain that they did not travel in circles. In the back of his mind though, it was because he wasn't certain what may happen if they were split up. Jack was certainly not about to guess how they would be getting back. Alice may have negotiated a guide to the Manor but Jack knew that everything had a price. Wonderland worked that way. You may ask for one thing and get it, but there was always, always a catch; he had no doubt that all of the others knew it. _Hatter certainly had his pric_ e, Jack figured, _so why wouldn't a Cheshire_? While Chesh may be helping them now, he would need motivation to continue to help. Something Jack would have to think up before they reached the Manor.

The knight attack had made it clear that the Red King knew where they were and, if need be, Jack was ready to send Alice on ahead to the Manor with Chesh to keep them stalled. He had no illusions about his own value in this; he was certain that he was to blame over this mess and was ready to sacrifice for it. Amelia the Duchess certainly had.

The thought sunk into him like a lead weight, his eyes staring at the ground as he struggled to come to grips with Alice's harsh words earlier. Amelia's distance, her avoidance of him, had happened after one cool night when she had smiled at him and asked him if he knew how much she loved him. Honest, Jack learned, was best not served in the cold way he was used to. The thought of the tears in her eyes then the brave frown she had given him was a harsh reminder of how well his mother's training had moulded him to the perfect king. Now the woman was imprisoned with the ruler who once delighted in torturing the Cards, and the responsibility of it was on Jack's shoulders.

Alice was right. He did not deserve the Duchess's affections. Jack had been raised to deny emotion, those teachings enforced with endless tutoring and manipulation, and he had done a fine job of it. Then he had been recruited by Caterpillar after he had rebelled against his mother's execution of several of the kind nobles that had been his friends, and the Caterpillar had sent him to the Other World. Where Alice had made him feel despite his resolve to simply use her to his ends. The rejection she had given him bit into him worse than it should have but as he watched her with Hatter, he wondered. Wondered if Alice had stayed with him if that clear devotion Hatter had for her would have manifested in himself. That was unclear and he had turned to the Duchess. It was a cruelty, he knew, to treat her so, and her recent coldness had made him furious.

It was an odd feeling that came, such anger. He had felt jealousy before, cold hatred for his mother...but like all Wonderlanders, he felt his emotions in a more subdued way. He was of noble birth, used to control. Why was he angry with her? Why had her sudden coldness stung like a slap on the face?

Was it possible, as the Knave had once asked him, that he could love the woman who was to be his wife enough to release that mask?

Jack hoped so.

* * *

Chesh led them to another border in the proper move, yawning as he moved. The Black Forest mud clung to the bottom of his threadbare boots and the hem of his trousers, but he was rather thankful to be out and walking. How many dull days he had spent in that bloody tree waiting for someone to let him go? Enough to make him never want to go back. So he was leading them as he was supposed to, mindful of the trickery that he had been warned about. The Hatter had shown extraordinary strength in his threat and that suspicious Knave seemed ready to push blame on him. Yes, it was best to not divert from the path. They were in what he called a 'knight path' and were doing quite nicely for time. Not as fast as he would have liked though; the dusk was approaching. Granted, they were moving fast considering how many hundreds of acres they had to travel. They were moving fast thanks to the correctness of the moves but it would be night soon and Chesh did not relish another night in the open air.

Taking a deep inhale through his nose though, he grinned his Cheshire grin and stopped. Behind him, Alice pulled Arthur to a stop and gave a relieved sigh as she shook out her sore legs one by one. Chesh glanced over his shoulder, noticing that the odd glow she carried had dimmed considerably. The girl must be tired. That would certainly not do. They all needed to rest and forget for just a time what had happened.

Chesh flicked his tongue across his lips, his eyes going to a twist of brambles. "Well, might as well," he murmured aloud and slunk to the brambles. There was a border glimmer there, shimmering blue unlike the silver of the other borders, and he disappeared into it, hearing the others call out his name. Silly things, they'd have to follow on their own.

The glimmer had opened just as he had expected and he stepped out of it, grumbling at the harsh sensation of cold that went up his spine before disappating. Like a large cat, he shook himself and then stretched. He pushed his wire glasses up to his forehead and pursed his lips. Mm. So it was still here then. Interesting.

The glimmer behind him gave an odd sucking noise and with a popping sound the others appeared. Hatter and Jack were mid-argument.

"I told you this was all a mistake, but did you listen? Nah, 'course not!" Hatter was snapping.

"Oh please. Your opinions until you were involved in this thing were likely revolving around which ghastly shirt and hat combination you'd get away with," Jack answered. That seemed to be pushing it and Hatter stepped toward him, Jack meeting him half-way.

"Hey!" Alice darted between them. "Bring the testosterone down to a normal peg, okay?"

"Indeed, what would your mothers think?" Chesh asked over his shoulder, still staring at his surroundings. Whatever argument the pair had been ready to fight over evaporated at they turned to look at Chesh. The Ivory Woods had appeared but different. Warmer. Instead of cold silvery light there was a soft golden glow and trees that actually seemed natural with brown bark and green leaves that shone lime green in the dusk light. It was a beautiful sight after such uniform sameness, the trees lining what seemed like a massive meadow.

"Where did this come from?" Alice asked in wonder and Chesh shrugged.

"Been here for about...two hundred years I suppose? Just sprang up in the middle of the Ivory Woods and no matter what the White Queen tried. So she set up a...tavern. Which should be around here..." Chesh looked around, scratching his head. "Oh right. This way."

He was just stepping off when they heard a grunt and groan, then a crash into the brush. Alice and Hatter turned to see Charlie staggering to his feet, holding his head with one hand as he winced. "Charlie!" Alice exclaimed, racing to him and hugging him tightly. Charlie made a chuffing noise as she squeezed him soundly, wheezing as if she were taking the air from his lungs.

"Goodness, Justalice! What on earth are you up to?" Charlie asked as she released him. The others walked to him, even the Knave smiling politely. Charlie set Alice some distance from himself and looked her up and down.

"Charlie, how you feelin'?" Hatter asked as he came forward and gave the Knight a clap on the shoulder.

"Like I was run over by a legion of wild horses, though I do remember a terrible battle," Charlie answered, pressing his fingers to his temple. "I departed from my mortal form for hours to stare down at the Checkerboard Taiga, seeing the darkness and the light. Finding the way and seeing the glory of the White Manor on the furthest Northwest square."

"It's in the Northeast," Chesh said as he turned around. "You can walk, Knight?"

Charlie chortled, insulted at the correction. "Of course, creature of old."

"Good. Then if we can get a move on?" Chesh demanded. Alice shrugged, falling into step beside him as Hatter and Charlie adjusted the Knight's tunic to order.

Chesh led them into the clearing, pursing his lips again as he whistled. The grass lengthened here, going to his knees and lush enough that the horses seemed eager to dive for a bit. Alice gingerly lifted her legs, finding the rasp of the grass against her torn leggings uncomfortable at best. "Where are we going?" she asked Chesh and he looked at her.

"Eh? Oh, right. When this section of the Ivory Woods changed, the White Queen sold it to a Duchess who then installed her servant there. Should be here though, unless she's cloaking it," Chesh said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over the meadow curiously. He looked right and then left, suddenly lifting his left hand and then his right hand. When he swept them out his hand just brushed Alice's shoulder and she felt a tiny spark, as if she had been shocked by someone. Chesh didn't seem to notice, waggling his fingers in the air. Like a veil, the meadow before them seemed to fall away, revealing a tiny house surrounded by garden hedges and a paddock with three or four pigs.

Behind them, Jack stared open-mouthed. "Is this..."

"That's right, your Majesty. The hidden hospitality of the Mock Turtle Inn, run by the Cook, available for four acknowledgements and washing of dishes or for an exchange of goods," Chesh declared as he cracked his neck loudly. Jack caught the Knave looking at him and shrugged.

"When we were children, Amelia used to tell me about her old babysitter who lived in the Checkerboard Taiga," he explained. Chesh cleared his throat.

"A word of advice? Please don't comment on the amount of pepper she uses. You'll just start a mess of pot throwing," he ordered as he looked around. Without really thinking, five pairs of eyes turned to Hatter. He looked back at them all, quickly growing insulted.

"What? What're you all lookin' at me for?"


	15. The Mock Turtle Inn

The Knave took the reins of the horses and led them around to the paddock, not even bothering to ask before he shooed the others all on towards the inn. Hatter and Alice exchanged a quick look before Hatter shrugged and followed Chesh and Jack around to the Dutch doors of the tavern. Charlie was muttering to himself as he took in the building. Alice thought that it looked like one of those old Dutch houses you'd see in cheap postcards, parts of it rather decayed and its salmon paint chipping on the outside. There was an old footman sleeping in a wheelbarrow near the back porch, the way he snored sounding like a frog croaking and his white wig as sooty as his livery uniform. Hatter raised his eyebrows before meeting Alice's eyes and rolling his own playfully. She smiled finally and gave his shoulder a push with her own as Chesh unlocked the door and stepped inside a work worn kitchen.

"Ms. Cook? You here?" he called out as he passed under a low beam. The others crowded in behind him, somewhat relieved by the warmth being thrown off by the low fire. The temperature was steadily dropping outside and any moment now Alice was expecting to see snow falling. A warm kitchen was a welcome sight.

"Oh!" Charlie exclaimed, pushing past Hatter and Alice to go to the fireplace. There was a massive pot of stew there, bubbling furiously and he spooned a bit out hungrily, blowing on the hot mixture before tasting it. He did an odd hop of excitement. "This is divine! Such ambrosia! But...It will burn if left on!"

Hatter watched as Charlie gingerly removed the pot from the fire and yelped as the handle burnt his finger tips. He stepped in to help but Charlie scuttled back and bumped into the big wooden table covered in jars, pots and pans. One of the pepper jars spilt over and a black cloud drifted into the air. The pepper cloud hit Hatter in the nose, sending him into a sneezing fit that shook his entire body.

"Damn it, Charlie!" he snapped as he swiped at his face, trying to clear the pepper out of his eyes. He backed into the table and promptly banged into a tall pile of pots and pans that fell with a clatter, Chesh, Alice and Jack jumping back to avoid it. The Knave reappeared behind them, staring in bewilderment as Hatter struggled blindly to keep his balance. "What in Wonderland is with this damned pepper? It smells like a Jabberwock's hide!"

"What?!" A shrill female voice came blasting from the stairs and a portly little woman appeared, looking like a tiny bull dog on the attack. Hatter had only a moment to stare before a frying pan came flying at his head. "I have worked so hard to cook and some idiot in a hat comes in and insults my skill!" Another frying pan was thrown and slammed into the wall behind him, followed by large muffin tin. Charlie moved forward to help but promptly tripped over onto his backside. The others hid behind the Dutch door as the little woman began to throw things at Hatter that he just barely dodged. Roasting tins, frying pans, skillets...there seemed to a limitless supply. Like Hatter's tea cups and tea pots, the cookware was as varied in colour as it was in style and the woman flung them with ease at the young man.

He was whacked off his feet by a rather large baking tin that crashed against his leg and went flying back into the air when he tripped over a butter-churn near the fireplace. Despite her concern, Alice was finding the sight just a little funny though she knew better than to laugh out loud. He'd likely not talk to her for a few hours if she laughed. Hatter was out of his element, jumping back and engaging in a shouting fit with the woman who was half his size and about three times his weight.

"Are you stupid, woman? Insane? Daft in the head? Throwin' things around like some bloody maniac is a sure way to get someone killed!" he yelled as he missed a pot aimed at his head and dodged around the table, the woman stalking him on her squat little legs while she swung at him with a black frying pan. She lumbered after him, her black and grey braid bouncing in the air as she did so The others were too worried about getting a frying pan to their own heads to make a move to help him and he was certainly not helping himself by arguing with the woman.

"That may be the point!" she snarled as she caught up to him.

"Of all the daft, ridiculous, friggin'..."

Before he could go on a tirade of curse words of both the Wonderland and Earth variety, the older woman jumped and grabbed him by one of his ears, twisting it. Hatter yelped, following the pain down as his feet did an odd dance in place.

"You watch your mouth, boy. There are ladies present and I've a mind to stuff your mouth full of pepper so that you learn some manners!" the woman snapped, dragging him about his ear. Hatter followed, yelping when she yanked him to a stop before Charlie. The White Knight was staring at her with impossibly bright eyes, his jaw slack with what seemed to be admiration, but she simply glared at him. "And who're you?"

Charlie recovered finally out of his shock, gallantly bowing before her. "A humble Knight, fair matron, named Charles! I declare that I have not smelled such fine culinary skills in all of Wonderland and we have all been in some wonder as to them!"

The right words it seemed, though they sounded ridiculous with Charlie's nasal voice, for the woman's round cheeks went apple red and she batted her dark eyes at the Knight. "Oh, truly?"

"Truly!" Charlie answered enthusiastically. Hatter whimpered from where he was on his knees in front of the woman, his earlobe starting to go purple while he gave Charlie a desperate look. Deciding to help the cringing man, Charlie cleared his throat. "My young friend, the Harbinger named Hatter, was most startled, my dear woman. I am sure he is apologetic."

The woman gave Hatter's ear a twist as she looked down at him with her beady brown eyes. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Hatter gasped, feeling like he was six years old and caught with his hand in the tart jar. "I'm terribly, terribly sorry."

"And you will..." the woman paused for him to answer.

"Definitely...think...before I say anything?" Hatter tried and she smiled, releasing his ear.

"Very good," she declared before she gave him a hard pat on his cheek that felt more like a slap to him. Hatter made a face at her back when she turned around to Charlie and the others at the door. Alice gave the woman an awkward smile as she turned those sharp eyes on her. "And who are you all?"

"I'm Alice," the young woman introduced but the woman stared at her.

"Goodness? Really? The last time I saw an Oyster named Alice a Knave was getting tried at court for stealing me tarts! That was decades ago!" the woman claimed. Behind Jack, the Knave gave a swallow as he suddenly recognized the tiny woman and ducked his head but the woman had already spotted him. "You!"

"I did apologize! Remember? Repented and paid you in full," the Knave answered as he kept the King between himself and the tiny portly woman. She came incredibly close to Jack, the King wrinkling his nose to keep from sneezing at the peppery smell of her. She eyed the ageless seeming Knave and then turned her eyes to Jack.

"Jack Heart," he offered and she blinked, stepping back. She made an odd little curtsey that caused her knees to creak, her voluminous purple dress and green bodice making it seem even stranger.

"Your Majesty! I received the news budgie for that coronation." She spun on her foot and stared at Chesh. "You're here as well?"

"Me?" Chesh asked as he put his sunglasses on. "Cook, surely you remember me?"

Her face took on an odd expression of both fear and fury. "Which is why you are not going to step another foot inside of this kitchen!" the Cook snarled and stepped toward him. Chesh put his hands in the air as he backed away from her. "You stole a good pig from me and it was the special one! You knew it was the special one! I got into trouble, got banished to this appalling forest instead of Manor-side!"

"I was hungry?" Chesh tried casually. She reached out and slapped him, the sound cracking through the kitchen.

"Out! You and I both know what that meant!" she growled and she shoved him back.

"But they need rooms for the..."

"OUT!" The Cook suddenly gave him a very hard shove and Chesh went toppling out the door frame. "Sleep in a tree!"

She slammed the door and whirled on the startled group still staring at her. With a brilliant smile, she dusted off her apron and planted her hands on her hips. "So. What can I do for you all?" Hatter opened his mouth but she held up a hand. "You keep quiet."

"We need a place to rest for the night. Chesh said that this was a tavern?" Alice said.

"It is. But as is such, I run a respectable joint, though customers are somewhat lax." At Alice's confused look, she pointed meaningfully at the men. "How do you think this looks?"

"I'm sorry?" Alice asked as she watched the woman take on a motherly but scolding look.

"One girl. Five men. Your leggings are quite torn as well. I wonder what sort of morals you Oysters have," the Cook commented as she gave Alice a thorough up and down look. Alice stuttered for a moment and Jack came to her rescue.

"Miss. Hamilton is very respectable, Ms. Cook." He glanced around, trying to figure out a good way to smooth this over. Eyeing Charlie, he gave the Cook a brilliant smile. "The Knight is her father. We are all her friends and sworn to protect her."

"That I...am?" Charlie answered, staring with wide eyes at Jack. Hatter looked over his shoulder at Charlie and gave him a meaningful look that darted between Alice and the Cook. Catching his drift, Charlie bristled and strode to Alice's side. "I am! Most proud of my little pumpkin muffin as well. We are on a grand journey."

He wrapped a fatherly arm around Alice and gave her a squeeze. The Cook looked at Alice who gave her a shaky smile. "All right then. I ain't running any low class inn you know. I'll not hold by brothels masking as inns."

"And we were certain you were not," Jack agreed. "How much would rooms be?"

"Only got two clean. The others are stacked with pots and pans. You four can share the big one, the girl can have her own across the way. Wouldn't be right otherwise. Cost of the rooms is..." She paused as if thinking it over. "I cannot think of what the cost is. Been a while."

Hatter stepped forward, reaching into his coat pocket. His ear still smarting, he gave shake of his head at Jack when the man went to search for his wallet. lnstead, Hatter pulled out a tin from his coat pocket and held up its shining box to the firelight. "Would about several days worth of tea leaves be right about?"

"What? Tea?" The Cook turned around to him, her eyes glittering with excitement. "I haven't had tea in years. What kind?"

Hatter let her take the tin and open it. "Chiapia Tea from the south fields. Fresh harvested when I returned to Wonderland." He watched as she took a sniff, his eyes glittering as he slipped into his salesman role and leaned close to her. "Delicious taste of goshberries and mint with dashes of sunlight and sparks of gentle spices. The tea for when you have had a long day on your feet and wish to experience true relaxation. Sweeping through and giving you the sensation of calm that after your hard work you likely would wish for."

It was the soft lull in his voice that made the Cook smile up at him like an infatuated girl and Alice managed not to giggle as the others stared at him in amazement. She knew this side of Hatter, the persuasion and seductiveness in his voice when he put his mind to it. He likely could have given the woman a black tree branch and convinced her that it would make her life all the more wonderful. At least he had come prepared but it was on her mind to ask him where exactly he had stashed tea on his body without her knowing about it. The Cook snapped the tin shut and took his arm in hers.

"Oh! You must stay for this payment now! How wonderful, you delightful boy! So handsome and sweet!" the Cook exclaimed as she pulled on his arm and reached up to give him a wet kiss on his roughened cheek. Hatter smiled back down at her, letting her look away to lead him about the table before sending a desperate look to the others for help. The Cook didn't notice as she patted his hand. "There is so much to do so I am sure I will be terribly busy. That damned Cheshire can sleep in the barn and eat mice and no arguing about that because I won't stand for it. If you boys would help me about, we can have a quick meal then you can all go wash up and to bed immediately."

Charlie cleared his throat and gave the Cook another bow. "I would be delighted to help you, dear woman, with your meal. I would cherish an moment to learn of your skills with cookery."

Alice and Jack looked at each other, bewildered by Charlie's obvious smitten expression. The Cook gave the White Knight a delighted look and let go of a relieved Hatter to move to the rear stairs in the kitchen. "Of course, of course, dear man!" she exclaimed before looking back at the others. "But your rooms first."

As Hatter passed Charlie, he gave him a thankful squeeze on his shoulder. "Very smooth, Charlie."

"Ah yes...smooth?" Charlie asked in confusion. Hatter turned and grinned.

"Just remember, don't complain about the pepper. I've been in the doghouse, as Alice calls it, before and I don't recommend it" He grinned at the Knight and turned away to follow Alice and Jack up the stairs. Charlie blubbered behind him, confused still and wondering what in Wonderland the younger man had been implying.

"I don't harbour a liking for these free and fancy morals of modern youth," the Cook explained as she lumbered up the second flight of stairs. Behind her, Alice noticed the paintings on the wall of forests, flowers and puppies, done in an odd gothic fashion of mostly black ink and extremely sharp line art. They seemed out of place in the cozy inn and Alice paused on the stairs to take a look. Jack muttered impatiently behind her at the delay and the Cook turned mid step. "Oh those. I was given those as a gift by a rather melancholy young woman who passed through here some years ago. She was unhappy and heading home she said. She stayed with me for some time."

"What was her name?" Alice asked as she resumed following the Cook. As they reached the hall and Alice came beside her, the Cook smiled up at her and patted her hand.

"Alice of course. You girls seem to like this inn. Always seem so happy here, finding something to amuse yourselves here I suppose, and I am not sure why," the Cook answered happily. "Must be my fine hospitality."

Alice stared at the woman as the Cook continued down the narrow hallway, Jack and the Knave passing her. Hatter paused, touching her shoulder. "What's the matter?" he asked. Alice took a breath and shook herself free of her thoughts, wondering why this other

Alice seemed to be haunting her steps now.

"Nothing...it's nothing. I'm fine," she said with a smile, putting her hand through his. He gave her a curious look but let her lead him on. The Cook, however, had noticed their hand holding and gave a sniff of disapproval as they went to pass her into the next hall. Hatter glanced down, seeing their hands and then lifted his eyes to look at the portly little woman. She cleared her throat meaningfully and he rolled his eyes, dropping his hand from Alice's regretfully.

"Now, I keep my room to the first level. Knees can't take these stairs too often and it lets me hear any customers," the Cook explained as she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. She jingled them slowly, find two that she wanted and quickly moving down the hall. "Not that there is likely to be any. Quiet times these. Dark times even."

She unlocked two doors across from each other and opened them, letting the men go to one before leading Alice to another. Alice's room was small, a simple iron and silver bed tucked against the corner, a vanity dresser in the other, and an old bathtub beneath the bay window. Compared to the cold hard ground she had had to sleep on lately, this seemed like a five-star room and Alice turned a grateful smile to the Cook. The older woman read her eyes and blushed happily as she went about the room, taking blankets from a chest at the foot of the bed. The woman puttered for a few minutes as Alice took a grateful seat on the bed and gingerly removed her boots, rubbing at her aching soles as she did so.

"You put those boots out and I'll get old Froggy to shine them up for you. Your clothes though..." the Cook clucked her tongue. "We'll worry about those later. Come down, have a nice stew supper and whatever else I muster up in a few minutes. Then its a hot bath and bed."

Alice smiled. "Thank you. You don't have to go to this trouble."

"It's no trouble, love. Been a long, long time since I had a young woman in the house. Normally all I have out this way are the unsavoury trickery sort," the Cook answered as she went to the door. "Do a quick wash in the basin then come down for supper."

Alice went to thank her again but the little woman was gone, leaving nothing but Alice in an empty plain room. She stood and wandered aimlessly around it for a moment before going to the large window and looking out. Chesh was outside near the barn, using his strange magic to start a fire in the outside pit. The Knave was nearby retrieving their saddlebags from the horses, one of them stuck in his teeth as he stumbled toward the house. The Cook appeared from below Alice's window, making a beeline for the Knave. As Alice watched, the Cook seemed to be tearing into the stoic Knave and he shrugged his shoulders, pointing to the kitchen windows like a boy caught misbehaving. The Cook threw her hands into the air before she then went right by him and stood before a bemused Chesh. Chesh leaned his head back and the Cook came close enough that Alice figured he should have stepped away. Yet from what Alice could say the Cook was saying nothing angry to him. She seemed even subdued. Chesh turned his head from the woman and looked up at Alice in the window, his head tipped on the side before he began to grin that slow grin of his. As if he were finding a joke that only she knew about. Yet, Alice couldn't muster a reason why she should smile in return.


	16. In Hands Soft and Gentle

Soaking in a tub full of slowly cooling water, Alice leaned her head to the side of the ceramic and sighed. It felt strange to be lying in this tub like some woman on a country vacation when just hours earlier she had been fighting off monstrous knights and iron horses. The dirt that had come from her hair and the bruises and scratches on her hands had certainly attested to it. It was a luxury she was going to take. Alice never thought of herself as terribly vain; she had more days without makeup than with, dressed to suit herself before others. A hot bath was in order though. She disliked the thought of smelling like horse and sweat for another hour if she could help it. The others may say nothing but she felt...well...icky.

Alice wrinkled her nose at using that word, for it wasn't very bright but with the water slowly relaxing her muscles she was not inclined to tax herself. The escalating tensions in their tiny group had started to wear on her and she wasn't as blind as she had lately seemed. She knew Hatter was misreading her actions, knew that he thought she didn't trust him for she did but she also knew that she had to keep herself safe from being hurt by him. There was so much to talk about, whether it was about the past he very clearly did not want to discuss or his habit of pulling away from her desire as if it burned him. A girl could only take so many slaps to her ego. The arrival of Chesh did not make it easier; he was as hard for her to understand as Hatter. Then there was the cynical and completely dense Jack and his cold emotions.

Her eyes went to the vanity, the phantom weight of the chain necklace still lingering between her breasts. Knowing that with her luck she'd end up accidentally draining the ring down in the pipes, Alice had elected to avoid the possibility of a furious King of Wonderland and put it in one of the dresser drawers. The moment she had removed it Alice had felt relieved to be rid of it and she had no intention of putting it back on until they went to leave. It had felt like Jack had given her too much responsibility for the sake of 'what-ifs'.

She lingered in the bath-water, half-asleep and relaxing, her hair starting to dry on its own as she let it hang over the back of the tub. Glancing at the window, Alice saw that the moon had fully risen and felt the sudden shock of the cooling water. Kicking the stopper from the drain, she was relieved to find her feet had stopped aching but she doubted that would last. She winced and leaned over the edge of the tub, grabbing the towel she'd been left. Alice froze midway over the tub edge, suddenly looking up at the moon once more. There was frost on the edges of the window and as Alice watched, it seemed that there were snowflakes starting to fall.

Wrapping the towel tightly around herself, she went to the window and stared. Jack and Hatter had told her that winter was rare in Wonderland and seeing the snow made her uneasy.

Catching her reflection in the window, Alice stared at herself and felt more unease at how exposed she stood in the window. She whipped about and went to the vanity, haphazardly pulling the old brush through her damp hair as she avoided looking at her reflection. She knew what she looked like: tired and pale. It was better not to be reminded of that and she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she went back to find her clothes on the edge of the bed where she had left them.

Alice stared at the bed as she redressed in her underwear and blouse, wondering if this would be the last bed she'd get to sleep on if she was on the run like this. She figured that it may be the last good sleep she would have for some time. The room had been patched up, the Cook's conservative tastes carrying into this plain white and black guest room. With Hatter and the three other men forced to bunk together in the only other bedroom, she knew she was lucky. Hatter was going to be in a foul mood in the morning if Charlie snored like he normally did.

Except for a distinct lack of heat in this room, the low fire not giving off much warmth. Wonderlanders really didn't feel much of temperature, Hatter had explained some time ago when he had had an ice cold shower and central heating was something they were yet to appreciate. It had left his skin such a pale blue that she had jokingly called him a Smurf. Granted, that had started a long explanation and his retaliatory diatribe on small elves and hobgoblins.

Alice re-buttoned her shirt and tossed her damp hair over her shoulder, the chill in the air making the hot bath she had enjoyed seem less fantastic. For the first time in a few days though she was really clean and her stomach was full, and she was not about to complain to the motherly Cook about her lack of heating. It would be like insulting Charlie, unnecessary and she would feel terrible about it for hours after. Though from what she had seen at dinner, Charlie would likely comfort the older woman. He and the Cook had been sharing recipes when she had left them all in the kitchen, the group of them too many to eat in the tiny parlour room that the Cook had been raving about. Charlie and the Cook seemed to get on very well and Alice had never thought to see Charlie more gallant and chivalrous than he was at supper. Alice chuckled to herself as she picked up her ruined leggings and riding skirt, folding them up.

There was a knock on her door and then a careless click of it swinging open. "Alice? Got your spare set 'ere that the Flower girls packed for me. Cook said you'd need them and what not," Hatter explained as he came in without looking at her. "Though why they chose black leggin's I'll never know. Colour does nothin' for you, if you don't mind me sayin'."

Alice straightened while she instinctively pulled at the bottom of her blouse as Hatter stared at her. He had frozen mid-step as the door swung closed behind him, his eyes running over her from toes to hair. Alice swallowed as she recognized the heated look, giving him a smile when she met his eyes. "Thanks. I'm just glad to get some of that dirt out of my hair," Alice said.

"Oh..oh yeah, definitely good that. Hopped in the tub myself and got that horse smell out of my skin. Cleanliness you know," Hatter rambled as he reached out and handed her the spare clothing. She noticed that his hair was a bit damp as well, sticking on the ends in some places beneath his fedora, and looked away.

"Yeah," Alice agreed shyly while she pressed the clothes to her chest. "Be nice to sleep in a bed."

"Yeah sure. Got used to sleepin' on the ground though, not sure if sleepin' in a room with the others on a bed is going to equal up to it..I mean, to me and you on the ground...I mean..." Hatter reached behind his head and scratched at the back of his neck, his hat tilted over his eyes as he did so.

"I know," Alice said in a friendly voice. She lifted a hand to her hair. "Probably need to get some sleep. I have to get my hair dry before I go to sleep."

"Yep. You've got big day ahead of you and lots of hair so I had better get goin'," Hatter said, smiling his unsure grin at her. He backed up and into the door, turning around and pulling it open. "Night."

"Night." Alice watched him close the door and sighed, throwing the leggings on to the dresser before she rolled her eyes. _Stupid_ , she thought to herself, _why didn't you just ask him to stay?_ She had become rather accustomed to falling asleep in his arms lately and she wondered if she would sleep without him. Hatter had likely already pushed it from his mind. He had left before she had been able to broach the subject of his sudden secretive nature as they drew closer and closer to the White Manor. Then again, there was no easy way to ask him about their other problem either. She doubted he'd think of a decent word to say if she simply asked him to lay back while she had her way with him to rid herself of the sexual tension that had been building with each touch and stolen kiss.

There was a sharp rap on the door and Alice looked at it. The knock came again with some impatience and she wondered if something was wrong. The woods just outside of her window had seemed rather ominous in the moonlight and she had drawn the sparse drapes as much as she could to block the sight of them. It nearly felt like someone was watching her when the birds in the trees had roosted for the night and stayed just outside her window. Alice ran through the possibilities of what may be wrong. Hatter had gone and she had heard the other door close to the shared room so likely someone had come up the stairs. Knowing she was setting herself up for embarrassment if Jack or the Knave was at the door, she opened it and peeked around the corner.

Hatter stared back at her, his hat brim shading his eyes just enough that it hid his expression.

"Hatter? Something wrong?" she asked as she slid the door open just a bit more. His eyes swept over her once more and he shook out his hand as if irritated by it. Alice met his eyes when his head lifted and immediately backed up a few steps at the look in them. They stared at each other for a moment, Hatter's eyes flickering over her face as his fingers clenched into a loose fist. Sucking her lower lip into her mouth, Alice waited for him to talk. Maybe that was what he wanted this time. They had so much they had to talk about and he had seemed ready to have it out with her. He did nothing of the sort.

Hatter was on her in two strides, cupping the nape of her neck in his hand and pulling her into him with startling strength. His mouth slanted hard onto hers and Alice moaned as he pushed her back into her bedroom, hands holding her into him. He kicked the door shut behind him, twisting to push her back against it as he locked it.

"I swear, if Jack climbs a window to get in here, I am going to see just how hard a royal's face is," Hatter ground out as he paused in the kiss. Alice heard a thump against the door, recognizing it as his hand as he braced it against the wood. She opened her mouth to respond but he pressed his lips against hers once more, silencing her. Pushing him back from her and following him in the kiss, Alice clenched harder onto his arms as they began to walk backwards. She helped him shrug out of his coat, her nails scraping gently against his chest through the green paisley shirt.

"Alice," Hatter whispered as he broke the kiss.

"Why now?" Alice asked as she licked at his lower lip. She couldn't help but try to feel more of him against her. The contrast of rough and soft burned. "You were making me believe that you weren't sure you wanted me..."

Startled at this admission of insecurity, Hatter pulled back slightly. "Alice, if you believed I didn't want you...I clearly have been more of an idiot than I thought."

"So why now then?" Alice questioned as she tried to catch her breath.

"Seeing you all damp and fresh, clothes sticking to you...I figured I'd be more of an idiot if I just left," Hatter admitted to as he gave one of her dark locks a tug. Alice arched a brow at him.

"You would have been. I might not have forgiven you," she whispered huskily and he narrowed his eyes at her from beneath the shade of his hat. He drew her close again and rested his mouth just a breath away from hers.

"I've been known to be a bit reckless, bit of a schemer, luv, but let's not say I can't figure out some way for you to forgive me. I ain't the patient sort you know and this...has been killing me," he moaned against her mouth while reaching up and taking his hat off. He threw it in the air and out of the corner of her eye she saw it land on the knob of the bedpost, twirling as it landed. The effortless trick seemed to be done without thinking as Hatter dropped his hand to the edges of her shirt. Alice chuckled while unbuttoning his silk shirt, struggling with the last pair of buttons. Dipping her head enough to look, she could that Hatter's pale torso was lean and far more scarred than she had first thought. Her fingers trailed over the scars, unable but feel an ache at the thought of the pain he had once been through. Not seeming to see her sudden seriousness, Hatter was having considerably less success with her shirt. He was cursing under his breath before he simply resorted to yanking it open and letting the buttons go skittering everywhere. Alice knew in the back of her mind that would pose a problem when she got her sanity back.

"I'll find you a new one somewhere," he whispered as if he had read her thoughts. He dragged his mouth down to her collarbone and began to nibble at the pale skin exposed while she tried to shrug her blouse off. "Something deep green or sky blue, sheer enough so that I can see whenever you shiver or when your skin flushes."

It nearly embarrassed her to hear such words but when he lifted his head to stare at her, she couldn't protest. "Better be expensive."

"I'll buy you so many...just so I can rip them apart all over again," Hatter answered against her neck as he struggled with the clip on her bra. "And none of these. I hate these. Only women would think up such instruments of torture."

His serious way of talking made Alice roll her eyes as she twisted and tried to help him before he ruined another garment she would need. Hatter's impatience was clearly a part of his natural nature as he struggled to get his shirt off, his hands sticking in the buttoned cuffs. Forgetting to finish undressing herself, Alice grinned at the sight of him. She pushed her hands into his dark hair and pulled him closer, her mouth lifting to bite at his collarbone to distract him. His wrists wiggled as he was able to free himself from the shirt, whipping it onto the floor with a snap. She lifted her head and met his mouth with hers, moving her hands up around his shoulders while she pressed herself against him. Alice felt his hands skim the edges of her panties, his work roughened fingers rasping against the backs of her thighs before he clenched hard and lifted her. Surprised, she locked her legs around his hips just in time for him to stumble forward and fall on top of both the bed and her.

"I'm glad I'm not as heavy as a walrus," Hatter managed as their lips parted, lifting one of her knees with his hand. "I might have crushed you."

"It would have been a good crush," Alice squeaked when he dropped his lips from hers to trail along her neck. The roughened edges of his jaw contrasted with the soft touch he was trailing up her leg. Hatter pushed her further up onto the bed so that he could kneel over her, never breaking the kiss as he continued to struggle with her bra. Lifting her just enough off the bed, his fingers fumbled and then caught the clasp of it finally. He murmured something against her skin about how there was always a catch as she lifted her arms and let him pull it free. Alice was normally confident about her body, a habit picked up from hours of changing in women's locker rooms, but as she stared up at him she had the sudden urge to cover herself back up. He was pressing down on her too quickly for her to make that move, his mouth erasing that urge with relative ease.

Hatter had told her that he had been worried about how he would react to her but Alice wondered if they should have been more concerned about **her** reaction to him. This was exciting and terrifying and so much more than she had thought she could have to finally have him like this. She was not sure what she had been prepared for; maybe a tentative caress, awkward looks and soft words or maybe a hard push against a wall, clothing ripped and hair pulled. The first she had never felt like she enjoyed with previous boyfriends; the latter was wonderful but not what she wanted yet. This was in the middle. Leave it to Hatter to take a middle road and cause her to enjoy it.

They broke the kiss, chests heaving as they tried to regain what oxygen they had lost. Alice put her hand to his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart beneath her palm and felt her body seeming to throb in response. Hatter lifted one hand and pushes her damp hair away from her eyes so that he could see her more clearly. With an uncertain smile, he braced himself with the other hand and continued the caress. His fingers hovered over her skin, goose-bumps developing wherever his fingertips grazed her and Alice arched her back slightly, her nails curling against his chest. Hatter had that curious look she had seen in her world when he had been faced with something fascinating and she should have known better that he was not just going to touch her. His head dropped, his wild dark hair brushing her neck as he cupped a breast with one hand and kissed the tip.

Alice sucked in a breath, holding it as she felt the rasp of his cheek on her skin. While he was moving slowly, it wasn't so much as hesitation as calculation. The cocky grin he had on his face made her think of a cat about to devour its prey...the metaphor made a fresh flush of heat trail down her body and she let her foot trail down the back of his calf. He shivered as if that simple action had touched him deeper than he had anticipated and turned his face to the side, drawing her nipple deep into his mouth. She made a sound in her throat, her hand going from his chest to clench tightly at his shoulders. Her nails dug in slightly when he moved his arm beneath her back and lifted her slightly. For one shattering moment she felt his lips suckle and brand her with incredible heat and Alice felt the actual strength in his right arm as it cradled around her back. The idea that he was controlling it for her, that he could cause so much damage yet restrained himself for her, was rather intoxicating and she pushed her body up harder against his mouth when he nipped at her skin.

His mouth released her slowly, as if he was not ready to let her go, and he pressed a kiss between her breasts, tongue flicking out and dragging lightly. Alice had her eyes squeezed tightly shut, worried that if she opened them she would be alone in her bed and pressed against a pillow having a fantasy that would end in a rather cold solo climax. Hatter had his own open to stare at the reactions he was causing, knowing that even if this was a dream he was not about to forget the sight of it. It was too real though and he had certainly had his share of fantasies of Alice in a variety of ways. The light sting of her nails kneading at his shoulders were the equivalent of a pinch and Hatter knew there was no way that his dreams would ever equal this.

His eyes caught the way her body made a gentle arch in the dimly lit room and saw the sheen of the light sweat and bath water that lingered on her skin. "You glow," he murmured against her belly while gently caressing the nipple he had neglected. His voice, long gone dry and husky, penetrated the thick fog of tension in the air. "I hate to agree with Chesh, but you do glow."

"Hmm, I do?" Alice answered, her voice thick in her throat as he lowered himself further onto her, his hips cradled by hers. He seemed to pause in his thinking, lowering his head enough to plant a kiss on the second oyster brand that had been left on her stomach. His free hand slipped between their nearly locked stomachs to drift beneath her panties.

"You do," Hatter affirmed, his breath scalding against her breasts as he looked up to watch her eyes as they opened to stare down at him. His fingers trailed the seam of her sex teasingly and he watched the way she clenched her jaw. He knew that it was easier to distract Alice before he lost his own control. " I might have a new favourite addiction, y'know."

"That's...good," Alice whispered as he lifted himself up over her, his mouth just inches from hers as he slid a finger deep inside of her. Hatter tasted the sudden rush of air on his lips when she sighed, saw the widening of her blue eyes and felt the moist heat that held his finger snugly. He quickly decided that he was was developing another addiction. Alice tightened her hand on his shoulder, pushing her hips up to meet his fingers impatiently and rubbing against him. Hatter groaned something unintelligible as he slipped his thumb in a hard circle against her clit, almost overwhelmed by the sensation of her fingers pressing into him while her body clenched hard around his fingers. When she shifted her hips up to follow his teasing fingers, she slipped her own hand down and yanked at his leather belt. Lifting his hips just slightly, he felt her hands tugging hard and his belt jingled open followed by the snick of a button being popped.

It was sudden a mess of tangled limbs and cloth as Hatter tried to kick free the rest of his clothing and Alice tried to untangle her legs from him to help. Any degree of suaveness Hatter had been aiming for was promptly lost as he toppled off the bed with his leg in the air. The loud thump made Alice sit up and reach for him with a smothered giggle but Hatter was back to his seat on the bed with remarkable recovery. Ripping himself away from Alice nearly made Hatter's head spin but he forced himself to focus and resume the struggle with his boots. Alice got to her knees behind him as she finished untangling her feet from her underwear, pressing her breasts against his back while she nipped at his ear. Hatter had been resolved to get the rest of his clothing off but was lost as her fingers slipped beneath his arms and trailed down his tightly clenched stomach.

"Tick tock, Hatter," Alice murmured as her fingers slipped beneath his pants. Hatter rolled his eyes to the ceiling, praying for strength while her fingers stroked him teasingly. He found his prayer lacking as he shucked his remaining boot and sock to the other side of the room and whirled to grab Alice so he could put a stop to her mischievous hands.

* * *

Discussing a new recipe for slithy toves and ginger root, Charlie and the Cook both looked up from their mugs of tea to stare at the ceiling in curiosity. The first loud thud had made them both jump, the second had made them simply stare before the Cook gave Charlie a confused look. Charlie shot her a winning smile and reached for the sugar pot.

"Young Alice is likely having a nightmare. Our journeys have been most exhausting," Charlie explained and the Cook gave a smile. "I imagine she is simply falling out of bed. A frequent practise for young Oysters you know."

"Well, she will find her rest here. A good night's sleep never hurt anyone and I am sure she'll fall right back asleep," she agreed before turning the page in her cookbook to show the Knight a new way to roast on a spit.

* * *

Alice groaned against Hatter's mouth as she pinned his arms beside his head, brushing her breasts against his chest as she lay atop of him. It had been easy to get the upper hand over him when he had been so willing to give it to her. His fingers curled against hers, his head lifting from the bed to continue the kiss when she tried to break it. Her legs were spread over his hips, the slick wetness between her thighs causing her to move impatiently against the ridges of his stomach. It seemed to make him grind his hips up harder against hers so that he moaned when she pushed her hips down harder. Alice could feel his chest heaving beneath hers and slid her one leg down slightly, hooking her foot into his pants and shoving them down until they passed over his ankles. Hatter wiggled beneath her, kicking his feet free and lifting his hips slightly as he did, his hardness brushing against her stomach, as she pressed down harder onto him. He didn't seem to need oxygen as he kissed her; she was somehow the only thing he needed to breathe. However, Alice needed to breathe and she broke the kiss with a faint pop from their lips. Hatter stared up at her, his eyes going down and then back up to her eyes.

There was a faint uncertainty there in his eyes and Alice loosened her hold on his wrists just enough to stare down at him. Then that flash of emotion was gone and he was rolling her over, his right hand trapping hers above her head while his left swept down her side and then between them. She felt his fingers slip into her wet heat again and she arched her back, murmuring under her breath. Hatter felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers tightly and slowly drew them out. Her leg slipped up about his waist and Hatter shifted atop her. Alice freed her hand to tug on his hair and bring him closer, their lips nearly touching as she felt him move into her.

At his first tentative thrust inside of her body she gasped, a strange hitching sound in her throat that she had never heard herself give before, and felt the groan vibrate through his chest. He stilled, his eyes shutting as he nuzzled his lips against hers without kissing her. Hatter decided that this was going to be another addiction. He wanted to hear that odd little sound she made over and over again, wanted to feel this strange sensation of coming home as he slipped into her body, over and over again. This was an addiction to last.

Her tongue slipped out and trailed over his lower lip, coaxing him to kiss her when Hatter was certain he might be unable to do more than one thing at a time. When the kiss persuaded him to shift his hips against hers, he was suddenly relieved that he could still multi-task. He was very glad about it when he heard the faint moan echoing his own as he tampered with the rhythm her body was demanding he set, feeling the way her body tried to hold him to her like a vice. Hatter broke the kiss to push her chin up and lick at the ridge of her throat, barely noticing Alice's fingers on his shoulders.

Each thrust, gradually becoming harder and harder as she pushed herself up to meet them, was setting Alice's body into a whirlwind of fire and pleasure. Hatter's back, lightly muscled and scarred, flexed beneath her fingers and she suddenly clenched tight with her nails when his teeth bit lightly into her collarbone. Alice managed to open her eyes and she glanced over his shoulder to see a faint line of blood from her nails on his skin. His mouth brushed her ear when she turned her head to the side, moaning as her breasts pushed hard against his chest while she moved her hips with him. Without thinking, she lifted her hand and clasped the bed's iron frame with it. Following her head to the side, Hatter traced her gryphon brand with his mouth, lingering on the ridges of it when she started to climax. Her legs tightened over his and she gave a deep moan as the rush of pleasure nearly became too much to bear and bordered on pain until she finally relaxed in his arms.

Whether he noticed or not wasn't clear, his eyes closed as he took a deep, shaky breath. Alice trembled in response, the sudden languid feeling in her body barely noticed as she stared at his face. Struggling to control her body's sudden impatience to follow his once more, Alice pressed her face into his neck and whimpered. The sound did something to him, made him move her up higher on the bed as his hands pushed hers overhead to grasp the frame once more before he lowered them to support her hips again.

His thrusts, hard enough that she dug her nails into the bed frame over her head, made Alice gasp for more as the rhythm made her body tighten up all over again and she forgot to breathe for a moment as she cried out against his shoulder. Hatter seemed lost in his own world, murmuring low words against her skin as he alternated between caressing her and teasing her. Learning her...learning what made her whimper and what made her shiver. As badly as he wanted to take her hands and put them against his own body to have her do the same, he doubted he would last more than ten seconds if she did. He could almost feel that strange Oyster glow she gave seeping into his skin and branding him, the way that odd gryphon tattoo had branded her. Even now he couldn't control his brain from trying to say what it meant to say. The way she moved with him, reacted to him, was almost too much to handle and dream about. He hadn't set out to impress her but she was making sure she ruined him for another woman. In Wonderland, sex was a trade and a casual interest but with Alice it was something more that as irrevocably chaining him to her.

The taste of something more than sex made him pause to savour it for just a moment. Just for a moment.

Alice licked at her lips, wanting the sensation to continue and moaning in his ear. Then the intensity ebbed and she found him staring down at her, his hips still shifting gently against hers but no longer as hard or as intense. It was as if he had suddenly realized something important but she swore that if he dared bring up some inane thing like the proper way to pour tea in Wonderland culture she was going to tie him down and have her way with him right to the finish. That thought had its definite appeal though. His arms braced on either side of her head and Hatter trembled at the effort to hold himself still.

"Alice," he whispered, one hand going to trace her cheek. Alice met his eyes weakly and flicked her tongue over her lips at the look in his. Without thinking about she was braced, ready for the usual male declaration of affection when in the middle of mind numbing sex. Her experience had taught her that much but his eyes seemed to flicker over her face before meeting her eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat at the expression of both hope and hopelessness on his face, seeing his fear lingering there and understanding. He may have followed her through the mirror, she may have welcomed him to come to her, but he was still terrified that she would just choose another over him. Her hesitancy of trust with him had burned him badly and her own past history of men had kept her guarded. In a moment like this, however, she was not about to let it interrupt them. She gripped his face in her hands and held him still. Unconsciously, her eyes flashed with her own trust for him and Hatter nearly thought he had seen love reflecting back at him, though it was well hidden. Had she seen how ready he was to tell her?

"I don't want you to stop."

The smile he gave her, the devilish glint of a man ready to do her bidding, would have made the Queen of Hearts envious to steal such emotion. He hugged her tight to him, not moving yet as she held him in her arms, kissing him. The words may have been wrong but Hatter had heard the feeling behind them and was ready to take them as they were. Then it was too long and he shifted his hips against hers as his body gave him a painful sign that it could only wait so long. Alice smiled against his mouth and moved her fingers down his throat.

"I think you have to finish something, Hatter."

"Bossy Oyster," he grumbled against the top of her head as he felt her slick skin shift against his impatiently. "I'm exerting myself and you still find something else for me to do."

She was all ready to argue when he gave a hard thrust to punctuate his statement, the move making a keening sound come from her throat as her hands dropped to his hips. She felt Hatter smile against the top of her head before he dropped his head and nudged her chin up with his nose. Alice lifted her head willingly to meet his mouth with hers, one hand sliding around his contracting abdomen and gently raking her nails across his skin. Hatter shuddered again, his tongue sweeping against hers hungrily before she moaned into his moan. Hearing him groan in return, she lifted her hand and tangled it into his hair to pull him closer still. Her bare foot rubbed up his calf, toes clenching about the muscle and she felt his hand go to grab her leg and tuck her pelvis tight and hard against his.

Alice gave a tiny gasp as the tension that had been throbbing in her body suddenly pulsed hard and she cried out against his mouth. Hatter pressed his mouth hard over hers to silence her cry, feeling her hands grasp tightly at his hair and hip with her nails digging in harder than she knew. Not daring to make a sound of pain and not sure he wanted to, Hatter drove his hips still hard against hers and felt Alice followed his hips with hers while her legs slipped against his.

When Hatter moaned against her mouth, Alice let her hips drop hard as her back arched and felt Hatter's arm wrap around her back to lift her back up more against his chest. Keeping herself tight against him, Alice wrapped her arms around his shoulders and heard him whisper her name over and over like a prayer while his shoulders trembled beneath her palms as he came to his own release with startling speed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath through her nose and tightened her body around his; unknowingly seeking security against the sudden flush of emotion she was feeling. Hatter groaned again, body relaxing into hers like a dead weight.

It was a while before either could move, Alice not wanting his warm weight to move from her. Finally Hatter's head lifted from her neck and he braced himself up on his elbows, not ready to move from her warmth. Alice stared back up at him as his dark eyes trailed over her, taking in her swollen mouth and the flushed skin that matched his own. His hair was a wild mess and she smiled at him, pushing her hands into his hair and drawing him down to kiss him as he slowly moved to the side off of her. The kiss lasted, Hatter keeping it gentle though he was tempted to simply ravage her mouth all over again. He doubted he would be able to move for a few hours and for the first time in their entire trip he couldn't find any words to break the sudden quiet that was starting to swirl around them.

Alice broke the tension instead, sliding her still warm body against Hatter until he was rolled to his side. At his confused look she smiled and pressed into him, tucking her head beneath his chin. He felt her tremble slightly and wrapped his arms around her, not daring to sleep and lose the moment when she felt so unguarded in his arms.


	17. A Dark Happiness

There were no more tears that she could weep. Nothing inside left but a shell, far worse than what she had become in the service of the Queen of Hearts all those long years. Years of torturous emotional control, of making herself in the icy cold Duchess who was untouched by the Queen's cruelty while she was secretly plotting against her. Then she had had something to hope for: the eventual succession of Jack, of him realizing his love for her in a thousand different ways she could imagine, of small children she could call her own and him being proud of her. Dreams she had kept locked very deep inside, as deep as she could into her mind and heart. She was no member of the Hatter family though; the dreams always lingered at the edge of her eyes whenever she had looked at Jack or at pictures of herself as a tiny child orphaned by careless parents.

Now though she could think of no hope, something that the Red King had been certain to drive home inside of her. Jack was not coming for her, Archibades had cruelly taunted as he sat her in a chair and walked slowly about her the first night. Why should he when he was travelling with a girl he had once longed for? Amelia had longed to deny that but always the jealousy of his feelings for Alice had simmered beneath her heart. So she had argued with the Red King in between the blows and the magic that swamped her head and threatened to drown her. His use of torture was different than the Queen of Hearts. Where the old Queen had left it to others with only orders that she see the tapes of the finished product, Archibades was an active participant who had set about seeing to her pain personally.

Curled up on her side in the cold cell, Amelia wished for him to simply kill her. Her face was already bruised from the blows, one eye swollen completely shut in a hideous green and purple lump but somehow he hadn't found it distasteful like she had hoped. The last time had been more than she could bear. A seemingly endless rape that had left her bloodied about the mouth and thighs, her wrists still burned by the chains and her eyes sore from the tears she had wept. She had nearly lost her voice with her screaming until she had been able to realize that he had enjoyed the screams. The screams that he forced out of her when she had tried to stop them. She could barely walk without pain and her breasts and neck ached with the vicious marks he had left on her once flawless skin. He had left her alone tonight, thankfully, sending her into the lower part of the Palace building closer to the midlevel apartments where Jack had built holding cells. Holding cells that were icy cold now as the winter settled tightly onto Wonderland. She was given a blanket for warmth but the others here with her were unlucky, huddling together in mass groups.

She wasn't certain who was who, recognizing a stout little creature from her time spent frequenting Hatter's older Tea Shop of Emotions, several Suits that had been recently recaptured, and a pair of terrified young women with flowers painted on their cheeks. Every hour the interrogating Examiners, the Red King's equivalent to the Doctors Dum and Dee, brought in more and more of those they had broken for information. Those that stumbled past to the door all did the same thing; crawled to the furthest corner and wept with despair. The first time Amelia had ignored it until she could take no more and had helped the little Dormie sit up and gave him what water she had been given. Then the process had repeated itself and even now there was a small boy who had been weeping in the corner for well over an hour.

Realizing that no one else was coming to his aid, Amelia sighed and pushed herself up from the floor. Her scraped back and thighs protested the action but she ignored them. The cold floor stung her feet as she crept across the floor and shook the boy's shoulder, seeing her broken and reset fingers in the light for the first time. She jerked them back and cradled them into her other hand as the boy sat up, rubbing at his eyes. When he lifted his eyes, the Duchess saw that he was one of the young squires that helped run the ferry from the side of Lake to the other. The Scarabs still ran but were too costly for most citizens. The boy was only twelve or so, a scrappy thin boy with blonde hair and green eyes. Only ten and easily as bruised and beaten as the rest of them. His mouth was still dribbling blood and he shook with cold and fear.

"I'm dead?" the boy asked as his eyes suddenly swept over her face, not seeing the terribly bruised side. Amelia blinked.

"No...of course not," Amelia said as she patted his hair gently.

"Oh...me Ma always told me I'd see pretty angels," the boy explained. From a man it would have been flattery but the earnest expression on his face made Amelia smile sadly.

"You aren't dead. What's your name?"

"Mouse. Ma called me that cause I'm so little," the boy said.

"I'm Amelia," she began and the boy tipped his head on the side.

"You a Card noble eh?" he asked and at her look he shrugged. "I only ever heard Card nobles speak like that. All precise and pretty."

"Something like that," Amelia admitted as she helped him stand. He was hobbling badly and when she managed to see through the darkness she saw that his one leg had been broken and then reset in plaster. He caught her looking and self-consciously turned his side to her. Amelia, still staring at him, felt the cold part of her melt a bit. No child should experience this.

The boy seemed to want to ignore his leg as she helped him sit beneath the window where the moonlight let him see the others. "They Nobles too?"

"No, not all of them," Amelia explained as she tore a small section of her already ripped dress off and pressed the wadded material against a cut on his head.

"I got me fill of Nobles, like. Had to have about four of them on me ship and that got me in trouble takin' them to the Forest Road. Didn't say where they were goin' but they all seemed in a hurry." He made a squeak of pain as she tried to pull a piece of glass from the wound. "One was real fine but the one man spoke like he came from North. He was real friendly with a pretty girl with an Oyster brand. Taught me a magic trick with a coin."

Amelia froze, staring at the top of his head. But Dormie had heard him and had hopped down from the bench, scurrying over. "You met the Hatter?"

"I guess," the boy said, pressing into Amelia away from the bright-eyed creature. "Who's he?"

"He runs the Tea Shop. I'm his trusted advisor," Dormie said, puffing out his tiny chest a bit. "He had brought that Oyster girl Alice in with him. Left with the King by the time I went to find him to warn him of those weird mists."

"Mists changed some of my men," one of the Suits claimed. "We went to look for citizens we could protect but they are all stuck, frozen as if they were statues."

"If that doesn't do it, that winter will," another whispered. This was the most any had spoken in some time.

Amelia squared her shoulders. "It doesn't mean anything yet. But the King was going to find a way to defeat the Red King. All we can do is hope."

She put a hand on the boy's shoulder. With a gentle squeeze, she went and stood by the window again, staring out of it into the cold, the moon still very high and almost blindingly brilliant as it shone on the snow-covered roofs and ledges. Amelia put her hand on the bars, suddenly growing still as she heard the doors opening again.

"Duchess, His Majesty awaits your very fine company if you don't mind," said one of the turned knights from where he stood at the door. She stared out the window for a moment longer before squaring her shoulders and turning around, all at once the dignified cold Duchess of West Wonderland. With a curt nod, she strode from the holding cell with only a faint limp. Determined to meet this with all of her pride still intact.

* * *

It was easier than either had suspected, to slip into this new role after making love. Hatter decided that if he had known how easy this may be, how little it changed them, he may have very well succumbed to his own desires well over three weeks ago and done all of the seducing on his own. Likely they might have never left his rented apartment then back in her world. Or her bedroom. Or her dojo. Or any other relatively secluded place.

So far, as to his tally, he had managed only about ten real minutes of sleep. He had woken to find Alice tracing the lines of his chest with a curious fingertip and then with an incredibly insistent tongue that had felt like a fire-tip paintbrush. That had taught him that Alice's moves in the dojo were most effective in keeping him quite helplessly pinned, though he would have lain still with just a word from her. Twenty minutes of attempted sleep later, he had caught her returning to the rumpled bed and waited for her head to hit the pillow. She hadn't made a single move to dislodge him when he had resorted to seducing her once more when he easily should have been quite exhausted.

Neither one really remembered that they were supposed to be sleeping.

Hatter smiled at her as he rested his chin on his arms, his head tipped on the side. Alice chuckled at the look of him as she reached up and took his hat off her head where he had effortlessly tossed it. She plunked it down onto his head and laughed at the expression on his face. Hatter tipped it back a bit and met her eyes, the amusement in his face clear. Alice trailed her hand down his arm and lingered on a tiny scar on his shoulder. She looked at it, flicking her tongue across her lips when she saw the faint bruising from a bite she had given him. Hatter raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed immediately with her fingers gently avoiding the bruising before lingering on the old scar. She sent him a curious look and he met her eyes.

"Going to tell me where this is from?" Alice asked curiously. Hatter shrugged.

"Not much to tell. It's the risk of what I used to do. A good Suit could blast a decent strip of skin off you if they caught you in the open," Hatter explained sleepily as she put her head on the pillow next to his. "That one though was when I was about five. Landed in an old bramble pile that was being removed from the old Northwest Wonderland Tea Shop. My granddad had to take a good six inch bramble out of my shoulder."

Alice leaned up and took a look at it. Sure enough, it did look like what a scratch from branches may do to bare skin. Her eyes trailed over the rest of his body to where the heavy comforter had covered his lean hips. "What.." she paused and met his eyes," ...what was your grandfather like?"

He looked her over before giving her an odd half-smile that didn't meet his eyes. His fingers trailed over her bare hip in a slow circle, as if he was considering. "Granddad was a King's Man until he...retired. He was a trouble maker, from what I heard."

"Sounds familiar," Alice chuckled and his smile softened. "Was he the one that stole the Sceptre?"

"Before the war, my Da and the second messenger for the White King, Haigha, tried to help a young girl named Alice who had become trapped in our world. She was oblivious to the danger she was in, so they shadowed her, keeping her safe. When she won her Queen role after that chess game, she put the Royal Sceptre in trust with the White House. My granddad was always amused by this, more-so when my Da stole it and hid it on the Whites. He encouraged everyone to stay one step ahead of the Royals and my family always did."

Hatter suddenly rolled to his back and pushed his hat over his eyes. Alice pushed up onto her elbows and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"My Da took it in trust and hid it it in the Manor, likely in one of the children's rooms after it was abandoned. My Grandfather encouraged it. They both always said that royals and oysters were dense and could never see what was right in front of them anyway," Hatter said, shrugging. "I think he didn't like that the first Alice disliked his tea party."

Alice noticed the sudden melancholy in Hatter, as if he had told her something that still cut deeply. "You miss them."

He sat up, his pale scarred back facing her, and took off the hat, running his fingers through his wild hair. "I never had a hope to ever see them, Alice, when the Card Houses took over. They were too strong a liability to ever be spared. You get used to it."

"No child should ever have to," Alice said as she scooted forward and he looked at her, his eyes meeting hers. Her eyes went without thinking to the odd circles and spirals of scars from his various scraps and to one lengthy one that ran from his back to chest.

"It is how Wonderland is, Alice. For every happiness there is a consequence," he whispered and she bit into her lower lip. Her eyes flickered to his mouth and she took his face in her hands, moving to sit on his lap as she kissed him, trying to erase the years of hopelessness that suddenly lined his handsome face. Hatter held her tightly, dropping his head to bury it against her neck and shoulder. Alice wondered if he was about to cry but felt nothing but his warm breath against her skin.

His head dropped slightly to rest beneath her collarbone and Alice pulled him tighter against her breasts, thinking his words over carefully. It had always been unspoken that he had hidden things from her, the consequence of such starting to bear down on her. Twisting her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, she shivered when she felt his hand moving along the base of her spine gently, the felt of the hat brushing her skin seductively. His breath against her skin caused her nipples to harden into sharp points against his chest and she trembled again. Hatter did not lift his head, one hand cupping her breast to knead the soft skin. Alice felt his mouth open against her skin and she bit her lower lip as he caught a tight nipple in his mouth and gently sucked for a moment. His teeth suddenly nipped hard and she gasped. Her one arm wrapped about his shoulders and she leaned her head back, relaxing into his arms as he lifted his head. She felt his mouth trail along the curve of her shoulder and heard a soft sigh. Hatter's shoulders seemed to tremble.

"My Alice," he whispered as if the words tore through him, the words so low that she barely heard him. "How I love you."

The words penetrated the fog in her mind enough that she pulled her head back. He froze, clearly surprised that she may have heard him. Hatter's guarded look was back when he met her eyes as if daring her to speak. Alice couldn't speak though, frozen by the thought that he loved her. She had thought that he felt strongly for her, liked her, desired her...love was something she had long been guarded against until it felt absolutely right. The strange sensation that it was frightened her even more and she searched his eyes.

Hatter saw the sudden fear and knew he had spoken at the wrong moment. It was not even clear if she had heard him. If she had, he was already damning himself for a fool but unable to stop himself from wanting her still. There was no disguising what she did to his body and he could feel her dampness against his groin showing what he did to her. He lowered his head against her neck and held her tighter. Furious with himself, he sighed deep from his chest.

The sound of exhaustion was what caught at her and drew her out of her shock, while she felt his head in the curve of her neck now. Hardly understanding his change in mood, she lifted her head and rested her chin near his ear, fingers sliding further into his hair. His grip even changed to one hand being below her hips and the other about her back, Alice finding herself relaxing involuntarily.

Hatter turned his head after a long moment and she shivered as she felt his breath in her ear, opening her eyes to stare at the wall behind him. His one hand cupped her face and turned her to look at him. Flicking her tongue across her lips, Alice watched as he leaned in to her and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him in return, the incredibly safety she felt in his contrasting the blind desire she had felt just hours before. Releasing her face, his hand drifted back to her hips while she lowered a hand to trace the lean muscling in his chest. Hatter broke the kiss to slide his lips over her jaw and down to her neck once more. He sucked hard on the skin of her shoulder, bruising it as if to mark her like she had marked him. Breaking the kiss, he slid his lips over her jaw line and down to her collarbone. As if in retaliation to her marking actions, he sucked hard on the skin, leaving a glaring red mark. His hands slid to her hips again, pulling her forward.

Alice shifted her hips to let him drive deep into her, pushing her face into his neck as she moaned in surprise at being so ready to accept him into her body. He groaned something into her ear and shifted his hips again, causing her to sink further onto his lap. She slipped her legs tighter around his body, rocking with him as she listened to his breathing in his ear. Nearly forgetting his admission in favour of feeling him like this. Nearly forgetting the fear and excitement his words had created. Her heart pounded in her ears and she felt his heart beating strongly against her breasts.

His arms tightened around her back, moulding her to him as he lay backward. Alice felt Hatter's body shift as she lay atop him, his one leg lifting and locking about hers before he slowly rolled them over so that he was lying on top of her. Hatter shifted and kissed her deeply, his hands moving from beneath her to gently cradle her head. His hips began to rock, Alice's own following suit as he kissed her and she moaned up into his mouth. Her response was more subtle, toying with his hair or caressing his back to feel the flexing muscles of his shoulders and buttocks. She felt him groan against her mouth, breaking the kiss for only a moment before he was parting her lips with his tongue and stealing her breath once more. Hatter lowered a hand and caressed her breasts, his nails dragging lightly against a nipple. The sting of it made Alice gasp and push her hips up hard against his, moaning impatiently at him. Hatter smiled against her mouth while he curled his arm tightly against her back and braced himself. His other hand moved between them for a moment, his fingers trailing over her hips to stroke her wet heat and then giving her throbbing clit a hard twist that made her whimper. She thrust her hips up hard, feeling the her orgasm tear through her.

"Hatter," she whimpered against his lips while she tightened her body around him. Her tight hold made Hatter's arm tighten around her body, his own body letting go slowly. He let out a soft moan against her mouth and she felt the slow grinding action of his hips slow until he simply lay atop her, cradled by her body.

"Mm," Alice shifted her weight slightly under him, not quite ready to let the pleasant ache fade nor let him go. His head dropped down beside hers.

Hatter didn't move, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "You might not believe this, but I don't think that I can get over this addiction."

"That's not a terrible thing," Alice answered. "I think I'm going to be just as addicted to you."

He laughed and rolled off of her, putting an arm behind his head while he stared up at the ceiling. Alice arched her back and pulled his crushed hat out from beneath her. "Oh...that's likely the best thing that has happened to in a while," Hatter joked as he took it from her and popped it back out. She watched as he tossed it back onto the bedpost. He licked his lips and looked back over at her, ready to say something. Alice looked back at him, still trying to catch her breath, and saw him close his mouth.

"Hatter..." she tried but found herself clamming up. Not knowing what she wanted to say, not knowing how to when it came to him. Knowing what it was was one thing, saying it...quite another. "Thank you."

"Oh." His face went blank for only a moment before he gave her his cocky grin. "My pleasure, Alice."


	18. Complicated Breakfast

The Knave knocked a total of three times on Alice's door, hearing her racing about inside. Jack had asked him to waken the young lady for breakfast and it seemed as if Alice had slept in late. "Miss. Alice?" he called out.

"Coming!" Alice answered, her voice muffled and hurried. Waiting patiently, the Knave hummed to himself until she opened the door and peeked out. "Hi!"

The perkiness in her voice made the Knave raise his eyebrows at her. She had never been friendly towards him. "Good morning. His Majesty asked me to check that you were awake," he began, already wary of the sunny smile she gave him.

"Oh, right," Alice interrupted. "I should just...get dressed then. I'll be down.."

"Alice?" the Knave asked before she could close the door. She peeked her head around the door again and without really thinking of it he glimpsed a sheet wrapped around herself. He had the grace to look away and cleared his throat. "Have you seen the Hatter? He was out early this morning, none of us heard him leave."

"No. Probably went to the kitchen to look for tea, knowing him," she answered eloquently with a shrug. The Knave gave her a look, realizing that she was lying when she gave a nervous smile. But, who was he to judge?

"Too bad for him then," the Knave said with a grin. "Breakfast is on the table. The Cook and Charlie are arguing over eggs now. See you downstairs in five minutes?"

Alice was not about to point out to the Knave of Hearts that no woman appreciated being told how much time to take. She just gave him a weak smile and shut the door, listening as he went whistling down the hall to the lower level of the inn. Sighing, she turned around and came nose to nose with a partially dressed Hatter. He had quietly followed her to the door, his hair at all ends still and his pants half undone. She had left him completely asleep but obviously when she had thrown the blanket over his head she had woken him up. Ruffling his hair with a hand, he arched a brow at her.

"I am not that much of a fiend for tea," he commented, his eyes glinting with mischief. Alice moved to step around him and he blocked her, repeating the action the other way when she tried to sneak by.

"I would like a hot breakfast," Alice grumbled as she adjusted the sheet. Hatter made a face, one hand tracing the edge of the sheet. She lowered her eyes to watch his teasing hand, flicking her tongue across her lower lip as her breathing deepened. Hatter watched his hand as well, his finger tugging very gently on the sheet.

"Breakfast is not breakfast without a sweet and the Cook uses plain treacle." He put a hand to the other side of her head on the door. "What if I offer an alternative?"

Alice widened her eyes innocently. "You hide strawberry yogurt? Dare I ask where?" she jibed and he smiled, suddenly pressing up hard right against her. Alice bit back a moan as she felt every inch of his body against hers and he put his hand to the other side of the door, his mouth almost grabbing at hers impatiently. The hungry kiss made her stomach drop to her knees and when he broke it she kept her eyes closed, anticipating more. Feeling him pull away, Alice opened her eyes and stared into his amused brown eyes. His mouth brushed her cheek as she clung to the sheet weakly.

"I rather like something a bit...better than treacle for breakfast. I can offer something far better. Something that both of us may enjoy."

He began to kiss down her neck, ignoring her weak protests as he tugged the sheet off and slid to his knees. Alice put her hands to his shoulders and into his wild dark hair as he flicked his tongue out against her stomach. Staring at the ceiling blindly, Alice decided that maybe a little cold breakfast wouldn't kill her.

"Well, if you insist," she managed before her knees weakened and her head gave a thump back into the door. Chuckling, Hatter stroked his hand up her calf and to her knee, drawing her leg over his shoulder as his lips trailed over her stomach.

* * *

Breakfast was cold when Alice made it down to the warm kitchen, tossing her dark hair over a shoulder as she passed the Cook. The older woman blinked, looking her over before giving her a motherly click of the tongue and pointed to the kitchen table. Charlie was snoring away still, his head lolled back and his moustache quivering as he snored. Alice smiled and grabbed a slice of bread and a cold cup of milk-less coffee. She slowly made her way to the table and took the empty seat across from Jack and the Knave. They both looked her over, the Knave simply giving her the milk while Jack's jaw did an odd tick that neither Alice nor the Knave saw. She was wearing a silk paisley shirt in a suspiciously familiar green, tucked up about her tiny waist several times and the sleeves rolled back. She practically glowed and when she caught Jack's flinty eyes she had the grace to blush.

"Mornin' coffee and not a warm thing about it," Hatter commented as he flounced in from the rear door with his saddlebag slung over his shoulder. He had changed into his spare plain black button down and grey trousers, his hat pushed back from his forehead.

Somehow, he was carrying his own tea pot filled with sweet smelling lemon lime tea and from somewhere in his satchel produced five cups. The others stared at him, stunned. He filled the cups and passed them around with the air of someone doing a good deed, watching as Jack and the Knave took deep inhales of the tea before drinking it. He made sure their eyes were on the tea before passing behind Alice to put the pot on the table, his hand tracing over the back of her neck possessively. She shivered at the warm touch that she felt all the way to her toes but composed herself as he took a seat beside her.

When Alice dared to look at him, she found him sipping his tea as if nothing had happened. Arching a brow, she cupped her fingers around her tea cup and blew on the piping hot liquid. The Cook had left the kitchen with a plate of food, presumably to give it to Chesh, and Jack followed her with his eyes before giving the Knave a nudge with his elbow. The elder man wiped at his mouth and slipped out the door behind her, both Alice and Hatter watching. "What's that about then?" Hatter asked as he leaned back in his seat and put his teacup onto the table.

Alice suppressed a gasp when his hand slipped to her thigh under the table.

"Nothing. We're just keeping an eye on things," Jack answered with curt smile, nodding to Hatter. Alice blinked, catching the look.

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"No reason," Jack stated innocently as he sipped at his tea. Alice looked at Hatter but he gave her a shrug, looking a bit out of the loop himself. "We're looking to be out in the hour. The snow is going to make it difficult though."

Hatter raised his eyebrows. "Snow?" Alice and him both leapt from their seats like children to look out the window, Hatter's jaw dropping open. "I haven't seen snow since I was..."

"There's not much, but both the Knave and I believe that we're going to have to step up the pace. If we calculate right, we could be at the Manor by mid-day. We're not going fast enough and if those knights were any sign of the Red King's power, we might be out of time," Jack said, tapping his finger on the table.

* * *

The Knave looked about the barn, eyes lavender as he searched the beams. "Where are you?" he muttered, clicking his tongue in irritation. The Cook had passed him earlier, grumbling about having to deal with both Chesh and the Knave so early in the morning. The barn was empty, the plate of eggs and treacle coated ham already gone, but the horses were all irritated in their stalls. The old barn was creaking in the cold wind and the Knave looked about, puzzled.

"I haven't felt such a change in weather for some years," Chesh said suddenly from behind the Knave, causing the taller man to jump. Chesh's eyes glittered behind his spectacles. "Neither have you."

"His Majesty barely trusts you, Cheshire," the Knave ground out, cutting right to the chase. Chesh reached up and ran a hand through his black streaked hair.

"That's odd. The Oyster doesn't trust you at all. I can't blame her, considering you were a thief once and the Queen's junkie assassin." He walked around the Knave, looking him up and down. "Still a junkie as well? Last I heard it caused your defiance of the Hearts and your imprisonment"

The Knave rolled his eyes. "Please. I am his Majesty's servant now and I owe him my loyalty and life. I would not dishonour him now."

"Oh, I never said you would. You remember more than you let on, you know what the White Manor may do to them all," Chesh said, keeping his voice low. His eyes went to the side. "Well...maybe not to that Hatter. You know that the White Manor is one large trap just waiting for an Oyster and anyone of power to come into it. The Whites did not go down without a fight and always did enjoy a good puzzle."

"Considering what I believe you are, I hardly think you have reason to comment much about anything. What are you suggesting?" the Knave demanded as he stepped menacingly towards Chesh.

"Nothing. Isn't it funny though? Your King doesn't trust me yet Alice does, to a degree, as does her Knight. Alice and her Knight have no trust for you yet the King does. The Hatter...he doesn't trust either of us," Chesh pointed out. "Hmm."

The Knave was about to answer when they heard the barn door open. Hatter strode through, his hands in his pockets as he whistled away. Chesh and the Knave stepped away from each other, Chesh seeing that Hatter was dressed differently from the day before. He looked surprisingly casual and didn't blink as he looked them over.

"Thick as thieves, ain't we all?" he asked over his shoulder as he walked to Guinevere's stall. When he passed Chesh, the Cheshire's eyes narrowed at what he could read in the man's body language and scent.

"You could say that. Some of us thicker than others," Chesh agreed as he moved and sat on an old milk box. Hatter brushed the straw out of Guinevere's mane and looked over his shoulder at Chesh. He gave him a crooked grin.

"You could say that." Hatter's dark eyes locked with Chesh's, letting him know that he knew exactly what Chesh was referring to. "We need to saddle up. Snow is coming down harder."

"Very well," the Knave stated, going to where the other horses were tied to their stalls. Without thinking of why, he was rather shaken by Chesh's casual knowledge of him and he tightened his hands into fists to control the sudden unease he felt.

Chesh followed Hatter as the younger man moved to Arthur and quickly swept the horse's body free of bedding. "Alice had a good night's rest I take it?" he asked.

"If you're tryin' to bait me, cat, it won't work," Hatter answered with a smile.

"Funny, you jumped to that conclusion rather quickly." Chesh leaned against the stall door and narrowly dodged Arthur's sudden snap of teeth in his direction. "She did seem rather downtrodden the other day. Ruins her glow if she is like that."

"Oh?" Hatter asked, not really listening at this point. His mind was still locked in memory of her glowing for him and he smiled to himself. Remembering the faint scratch marks now on his shoulders, Hatter moved one hand to his neck and touched the bruising beneath his shirt where she had bitten him.

"Whose glow is ruined?" Alice suddenly asked from behind Chesh, having come in behind Hatter. They both jumped and she smiled in greeting. "Hope you didn't sleep badly out here but she wouldn't agree to having you in the inn with us."

"Not at all," Chesh said, blinking at the friendly smile she gave him. Alice simply continued on to her horse, putting her hands in her pockets. Curiously, she felt the jingle of metal as she went into the stall. Discreetly removing her hand, she realised that she still carried the key she had used to unlock Chesh. The silver band it hung on was tiny and faintly ribbed and she smoothed her fingers over it. How could she have forgotten it was here and why on earth had she pocketed a now useless key?

Alice looked over, reaching to her coat and playing with the chain necklace in thought. Leaving her back to the others, she slid the ring back and forth on the chain as she looked at the key.

Chesh was still watching her turned back. He had always been able to see her glow, more vividly than the others because of his own magical talent though the Hatter seemed to see it as well. The girl...glowed more intensely and Chesh stared at her before she gave him an inquiring look. He looked away, knowing that if he could use the glow to help find their way but when they drew close to the White Manor it would have be dampened. He knew how to do it, it was just a matter of when to do it and if it would go to plan.


	19. The Final Square

They left the Inn with a grateful Cook waving them on. She had been kind and shaken all of their hands as if they had done her some favour in arriving there. Well, shaken most of their hands. When she had come to Hatter she had given him a skeptical look and then kissed him on his cheek, thanking him for his payment. For Charlie, who bowed low and made a rambling speech about her goodwill and incredible cooking, she had waited for him to stand before promptly grabbing him. She had dipped him low and lay a loud smacking kiss onto his startled mouth. The sort of kiss that made Hatter, Jack and Alice look away, feeling that it was like seeing their parents in some passionate moment. When the Cook finally released Charlie, he had sputtered breathlessly, leaving Hatter to lead him off to where Arthur waited and help him up.

The Cook had laughed when she watched the Knight's shocked expression but grabbed hold of Alice's shoulder when the girl went to leave. Her fingers had been strangely strong but gentle.

"You don't realize what is happening, going this far to the Manor?" she had asked, causing Alice to give her a bewildered look.

"We're going to..."

"No, you don't. You think it is for that. Unfortunately, I'm always kept to only talk about the inn," the Cook had whispered, her fingers still strong on Alice's shoulder. Alice swallowed as the Cook put her arm around her shoulders and moved her mouth to her ear to whisper, "But sometimes the one footman you follow into the inn is the one you should never follow."

She released Alice just enough that girl could look at her.

"You've got a strong glow, Alice. Stronger than I've ever seen before and its getting stronger as you go along. Don't let it or the reason for it go. It'll help you find your way," the Cook had said lowly before giving her a sunny smile and sending her on her way.

The words had puzzled Alice, so that she was pulling her coat sleeve up and down, trying to see what she meant by her glow being strong. She was nearly imitating Hatter with her distraction with her coat. She was a naturally pale girl and while Chesh had said it was something magic, she had her doubts about it being more than just a simple thing. Now she wasn't so sure and the Cook had made her nervous. Nervous enough that she almost imagined that the others had noticed at as well. Jack might notice the difference in the necklace he had given her but she had taken care of it the way she knew how. His look at her this morning had nothing to with the necklace. The strange looks that she had received earlier from the others had certainly let her know that maybe she was glowing. She had just started to come down from her high of making love with Hatter and though it still lingered, her doubts about what this forest may being doing to them all had started to find its way into her mind.

The high was still just enough that the thoughts did not disturb her as much as they once would have.

Hatter glanced at her from where he rode beside her, seeing her distraction. He had been trying to catch her eye for some time now, wanting to at least see her face for just a moment. Yet Alice seemed self-absorbed and Hatter had to simply look ahead and grin away to himself like a fool. His brain kept going back to the Mock Turtle Inn, lingering on the memory when he had woken midway through the early morning. He was a heavy sleeper normally but Alice had stirred in his arms to press even tighter against him. She had never struck him as a cuddler yet she had pressed her body tightly into his as if she were absorbing his warmth. She had wrapped herself half on top of him with her fingers curled loosely around his arms, her chin resting on his chest as she breathed in and out. He had woken to stare at her for some time, seeing the green etching on her waistline and tracing it with his fingers. She hadn't moved then, simply fell into a deeper sleep and he had gone back to sleep without a nightmare or memory to plague him. He should be exhausted from the night before, Hatter thought, but he hadn't felt any nip of exhaustion. In fact, he moved easily with Guinevere's jarring pace and kept his head relatively clear.

They had gone into the Ivory Woods again and they hadn't changed save for the thickening layer of snow. The powder on the trees was now frozen solid, giving the trees a strange painted look beneath the snow and ice. They were going considerably fast now, maintain a steady long trot that kept the horses puffing and creating a light sweat. Considering their direction, Hatter figured that they were moving like the rook now. They had just been trotting straight ahead, no curves and the sun remained in its steady place overhead. The scenery began to blend together once more, Black Forests to Ivory Woods rapidly as they slipped through the numbing border glimmers. The only sign that they passed from one to the other was the stark contrast from dark to light and the heavy fog that clung to the Ivory Woods. The snow was crisp beneath the horses' hooves and they had all started to pull their coats tighter around themselves. Hatter adjusted his hat but it didn't help the sting of cold on the the tips of his ears. The others were looking red in the cheeks, moving rapidly with their horses to keep warm. Chesh was still jogging along tirelessly, though once or twice his foot would slip. Alice, strangely, remained just as pale as she had always been and seemed not to notice the snow and cold. Just playing with her coat sleeve in an oddly childish way that was reminiscent as to Hatter would normally toy with the brim of his hat in anxiety.

Chesh had insisted on the fast pace when Jack and the Knave had declared it necessary to reach the White Manor as quickly as possible. They were certainly travelling fast enough, the sounds of hooves on snow, the horses' heavy breathing and Charlie's metal armour scraping together the only real sounds in the Taiga. The Ivory Woods were open enough that anyone looking to attack from any of the sides would be seen and the Knave had ridden in the rear for sometime to keep an eye out. Hatter had insisted on taking over the role of rear guard with Alice when it became clear that the Knave was anxious to stay close to Jack. The Knave had been staying close to Jack, like a magnet Hatter thought, as if he were worried that if he were too far behind that Jack would suddenly disappear. Hatter couldn't say anything against that, he had started to ride closer and closer to Alice the deeper they went into the Taiga's squares.

He shadowed her as the memory of the morning faded and the cold reality of the Ivory Woods began to sink into his mind.

Then, for the first time since the knights' attack, Hatter got that strange niggly feeling in the back of his mind. As he moved with Guinevere's smooth stride, he glanced over his shoulder and looked behind them. There was nothing but a serene paths behind them, now blanketed in snow and frost. No sign of anyone who could possibly be following them and he shook his head as he looked back around to where they were going. The feeling was still there and he lifted his hand to make sure his hat was still secure on his head in reflex. They were moving seamlessly between the borders and Chesh would occasionally shout back where they were but Hatter felt a slow sinking in his stomach. It was like a lead weight was slowly being dropped into his stomach and he put a hand to his stomach to ease the ache. As the sensation of being watched grew, it felt like every hair on the back of his head was on end and he grimaced as he turned back around, trying to hide his agitation as the Ivory Woods seemed to brighten just very slightly and came to another open meadow.

Alice had looked away from her coat sleeve permanently now, remarking in a low voice, "This was once a city, wasn't it?"

"It was," Hatter agreed in a strangled voice but Charlie, riding just before Alice, saved him from having to say more.

"There were many towns and cities in the Taiga, at one time. Peasant towns you might call them, loyal to the Royalty who were either White or Red. At least...I think they were," Charlie explained, still bouncing uncomfortably hard on Arthur's poor back. Hatter tried to keep his eyes straight ahead and gradually realized that he was failing miserably.

He was starting to recognize some of this. He had hoped that those memories had been lost but it was rushing back like a painful slap in the face. Not the deep maze of his memories that held far too much, but those he had buried close to the surface. The ones he did not want to remember but knew that they had carved him out to be who he was. Memories he dreamt of still. Ones that he had taken drop after drop of Forgetfulness to put an end to for only a moment. The very Emotion he had once tried to become addicted to before he had met Alice, the one that had ceased working after only a few tries.

The Ivory Woods had started to blend into a strange grey surroundings, the fog no longer as dense and covering. There were ruins now, broken and decayed, of old towers and fences. Alice was too absorbed in keeping her balance on her horse to notice him slowing down and Chesh was not pausing in his pace to let them stop to ask him questions. He simply yelled over his shoulder to keep going and ignore it all. They obeyed him without question, the ice cold winds and dead landscape more haunting than they should have been. Hatter though stared like a man haunted by what he saw and reined Guinevere back slightly, dropping in pace until the impatient little mare came to a prancing walk. Hatter ignored her annoyed snort and stared sightlessly at the ruins of an old tower still rising halfway from a small hill. His jaw clenched as hard realization swept through him, a memory he had tried to forget.

" _You keep those secrets locked up tight, boy," his father said as he held the door closed against guards pounding on the wall. His father was an older version of Hatter, sharper in features and dressed even more flamboyantly in wild purples and blues. His face was almost permanently frozen in a grin but his dark brown eyes were strangely desperate and fearful. "You did good to try to correct the problems you caused... this despite what is going to happen. We're the only ones who can keep this war from destroying all of Wonderland. Never let it go but never let it out except to those you trust. Don't come back here unless you have to."_

_The door was being cracked apart and his father whirled to grab his pistol. "Just wish this turned out differently," his father whispered, "just wish knew why she did it."_

_The memory flashed to Hatter finding himself stuck in the Tower room, staring at his father as the older man was led to the block. "It can all be over," a soft female voice said from behind him. "I don't want him to die. But you Hatters are very difficult to break."_

_"You don't care if you kill him! Not even after all this time! I made a promise!"_

_"Then tell me where he hid it for you. I can have you killed, you know, for what you did. But if I am given the Sceptre, I can make everything what it once was," the voice insisted in his ear. "Before you caused the death of your family."_

_Hatter pressed his hands to his ears, trying to block the sound of the voice._

_"Go away! I don't remember!" he screamed and the voice was gone. When Hatter looked up, he saw the flash of light on the executioner's blade as it dropped down and he opened his mouth to scream. No sound came though and he felt the ache in his head increase at the weight of his father's words._

"Hatter?" Alice's voice penetrated his thoughts and he jerked his eyes to her. She gasped at the sight of his pain filled eyes which only hours before had been smiling with delight at the sight of her. "What's wrong?"

"I just..." Hatter cleared his throat, suddenly aware he had fallen far behind them. Alice had turned before the others could and had returned to his side. "I can't..."

He shuddered and looked away from her, staring at the snowy ruins. He could just make out the skeletons of people frozen in fear. His own hands shook, his right hand going to his saddle horn. Alice watched as his grip tightened and destroyed the horn from the saddle into a crumbled heap of leather and wood. Her heart suddenly began to pound, not knowing why Hatter was reacting like this. Sucking her lower lip into her mouth, she pressed her horse close to his and reached out. He flinched when she tried to touch his right hand and Alice clenched her jaw in determination, instead taking his left.

"Hatter, it's all right. Chesh says that it's..."

"Just a bit further. I know," Hatter ground out, refusing to meet her eyes. Alice tightened her fingers just slightly around his wrist before slipping them to his side. Her fingers lingered there before she patted his thigh. His eyes were foggy once more and Hatter slipped back into his memory.

_"You had to go the hard way, boy. We can try to break you and don't forget that we have tried this many times. Each time will get worse. Maybe you'll end up just like your grandfather, stuck in his own little world with death and tea surrounding him."_

_The boy screamed, hands over his ears as he began to weep._

Alice's fingers brushed his skin again and he shuddered.

"It's just a bit further, Hatter. Come on," she encouraged and he finally met her eyes. "Maybe we can rest when we get there, okay?" She smiled at him, hiding her worry as best as she could and not quite succeeding as his eyes dropped away from hers. She had never seen that look before and had no way to describe it. He was hiding something from her.

"Right." He clipped his heels into Guinevere's sides and they were off once more at a canter. The horses picked up a gallop as they thundered along the path following the others. They had fallen some distance behind, unnoticed by any of them, and Alice relished the quiet as she and Hatter rode side by side. The snow crunched beneath their horses' hooves, the only sound now in the Ivory Woods. Feeling a faint joy in the speed, Alice dared a look at Hatter and saw that he had gone serious in way she had not seen in some time. The type of serious that could bode ill, she thought to herself before looking back. The woods arched over head and she could just see Jack and the others halted at the end. Her horse's stride lengthened at the sight of the other horses and she had to pull hard on the reins to bring the horse to a jolting stop.

Charlie gave her a welcome smile but nodded instead to what they had been staring at. Chesh was standing to the side like a curator displaying a museum piece, not speaking in favour of letting the sight to do them in. Alice followed his eyes and gasped, reining her gelding about to look. Hatter joined them, keeping Guinevere just behind the others. He took just a look and then looked away instantly, shuddering at an unexplainable revulsion he felt. Revulsion that he couldn't explain to any but himself as the prickling sensation continued up his body, letting him know that someone was still following them.


	20. A Terrible Thing to Waste

The White Manor stood before them, stated as such by the large iron gates with its name welded onto the frame. Draped in crawling ivy and white flowers, the gates hung open on rusted hinges, still painted white but stained with rust and black soot at the edges. The gates were held open by the vines which laced about the iron rails into the trees, wrapping around several tree trunks. There were ruins of old gatehouses nearby, decayed statues of war heroes with heads removed still standing. Nothing to say that the place still lived, nothing beyond a strange feeling of unease and melancholy that seeped from its very gates and ruined stone wall.

Alice pressed her horse close to Jack's and stood in her stirrups, unable to hide her surprise. She had expected a glorious palace or something similar to the odd architecture of the Hearts Casino, but the White Manor instead reminded her of one of those large sprawling estates you would see in a British period film. All elegant and yet cold. White and green brick and marble ran across the face of the massive manor, small turrets standing at the edges of the sloping roofs that blended several levels above, and long windows of stain glass that shone pale blue in the dim sunlight. It was over a mile away, a thick hedgerow garden between them and the front steps that twisted about in a dizzying fashion. There were dozens of ponds and what seemed to be patches of white lilies, long since abandoned and growing wild across the green lawns. The property was immense and Alice swallowed as she took it in, unable to see where the manicured lawns ended into the surround woods. The manor seemed to shimmer with odd light and she caught her breath as the icey wind seemed to grow colder.

Compared to the Heart Casino and the relative modernness of the Wonderland City, this place radiated antiquity and dignity. It was so similar to a manor or small palace that she may have seen in the movies that Alice wondered if they had staggered back into her world or if she was simply seeing things again. This was almost too much like her world save for the feeling that came from the manor itself. There was a strangeness in its pale beauty though that kept her from falling for it entirely. It was as if she could feel the possiblity of a trap lingering there and she tightened her hands on her reins.

"This has changed since I was here last," Charlie commented suddenly and they all looked at him. Hatter was still a distance away from them, staring sightlessly out into the woods behind them.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked as they all turned around to face Charlie.

"I was here, years ago if you can understand, but the White Manor was filled with oddities. The building was not like this even. It was a spacious palace of gold and green turrets, vivid lights and shrieking flowers, the kind that the Kingdom of the Knights once harboured," Charlie explained. "This is strangely..."

"Like something I would have seen in my world," Alice murmured. _If the Manor had changed like this, what had caused it?_

 _"_ As much as I appreciate a good viewing, don't you all have a reason for being here?" Chesh asked in bored tone. Jack and the Knave both looked to him before Jack gave a curt nod.

"Let's go."

"I had thought we could all have a little...conversation first," a grave voice said suddenly from behind them at the gates. Hatter still hadn't turned, his eyes suddenly taking on a sheen of desperation as he looked into the woods as his breathing became shallow. The rest all wheeled around to see the Black Knight astride his iron horse once more. "This is rightfully in my check."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Please, if you are trying to be intimidating, at least be sure that it's not after Charlie defeated you so easily."

"Precisely!" the White Knight agreed, not quite hearing Alice's sarcasm. Chesh took a careful step away from them, his eyes moving from the Black Knight to the shimmering Manor. The cool grin he had widened and he simply crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am not here to fight, per say." The Black Knight ignored Alice's insult. "I am here to just give a bit of a spark to a message."

They all flinched as he held up a tiny red ball, cracking it open on his saddle before tossing it before them. The ball suddenly flickered with light, spooking the horses and they quickly dismounted to calm the frantic horses as the roaring sound that came nearly vibrated the ground. The horses calmed just barely and they all looked as the light grew foggy and ceased to flicker. The Black Knight was gone but something was moving in the fog. Like a strange misty creature, a pasty skinned man seemed to unfold, his body flickering. He was taller than all of them, barrel chested and with red hair recently cropped short to his skull. His mouth was twisted in a cruel line and Jack recoiled at the sight of him. The man vibrated with magic and hatred, his emerald eyes now inhuman with the odd sparks in them. Jack had met Archibades the Red King only very few times, each time had sparked his pity at the thin and wasted creature he had become. Now he could see that that had been an illusion, that Archibades was anything but pitiful. Dressed in smooth red and black silks, he looked every bit the old noble he was and nothing of the thin prisoner that Jack had once taken leniency on.

"What a wonderful thing to find you all here, looking all cold and blustery. I have not seen such a rag tag group in some years," the Red King said as he strode from the ball he had escaped from. Jack and the Knave could tell that this was a projection of the man, that he was using the holographic technologies once perfected by the Hearts to make his presence known. He was likely still in Wonderland City but had tracked them to the Manor. Though they knew instinctively and with growing horror that this was no harmless image before them. Whatever magic he had was likely making this far more real. When he gestured in the air, there was no transparency to him as there should have been. "A king, a court advisor, a Knight..."

"Who are you?" Alice interrupted and his eyes turned to her, a red brow arching. She straightened her shoulders at his uninterested look.

"You must be Alice, the Oyster set to wield the Royal Sceptre against me. Odd that Jack Heart always seems to choose the more **pitiful** looking creatures to protect his interests," the Red King said as he took a step toward Alice. She thrust her chin up bravely. His eyes turned to Jack though, the holograph distorting the green of them slightly. "Your Duchess, by the way, is certainly trying to overcome **her** pathetic nature."

Jack's hands clasped into fists at those words.

"She may never be the same, you know. And all because you had to let Amelia fall for you like some infantile creature so that she would take your place," the Red King continued to goad. The Knave took a step to go around the King and was instantly choked by the red mists, slammed back as if he had been struck by a hammer to the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, Charlie bending to help him. No one could move towards the Red King however. They were stuck, unclear how to move against a holograph that held magic. The Red King looked back at Alice. "You, however, would have been far more fun to break apart."

She found herself locked in place as those emerald eyes seemed to glimmer once more, the red mists starting to circle all of their feet. Alice felt as if she were falling into a hole once again and she made a faint noise in her throat.

Then the feeling was gone, blocked by Hatter's leather clad shoulders as he shoved her back. "That's enough," he ground out and Archibades laughed in his face, eyes going over him with obvious delight. Hatter pushed at Alice with his hand to go behind him, guarding her as she tried to recover from that strange feeling.

Jack cleared his throat, a hand going to the inside of his coat where his pistol lay ready. "What do you want with me?" Jack demanded and the Red King broke into a harsh laugh.

"You? You think that you have something I want?" he asked through his laughter. "You may one day but not yet. What I want right now is right before me."

His eyes turned to Hatter, locking on him. Hatter turned his head slightly on the side, eyes going to steel as he braced himself. Archibades did not disappoint, hand suddenly lifting and his palm opening and then closing. Hatter went flying into the air into the gates, crashing into them face first before Archibades twisted him around. Alice screamed, Charlie and the others trying to move forward with her but finding their feet stuck in the mists. Tugging helplessly on his legs, Jack tried to move his hand into his coat but found it stuck as well. Chesh was the only one unaffected, staring with what Alice saw as fear but with what Jack read as fascination as Hatter was banged repeatedly against the gate.

Hatter felt the shrieking pain up his body as the iron dug into his back, the Red King lifting him higher against the gate. Archibades' image had a twisted grin as he stared up at them.

"You are just like your father, I would guess. Not likely to crack under pressure, are you?" Archibades demanded.

"Not bloody likely," Hatter managed as the pressure increased, his head thrust back into the gate.

"I want that Sceptre, boy. You know where it is, know the exact location and what will happen with it when it is combined with the Stone of Wonderland. You know how to use it the way it should be used. All inside of that brain of yours, the keys to Wonderland. The real keys and not some stupid Looking Glass," the Red King said softly. "Your family held them for too long. You are but a boy compared to your grandfather when I broke him. You think you can hold up to the same pressure?"

He seemed utterly fascinated by Hatter and the young man cried out as his head was banged back onto the gate again. Managing to open his eyes, Hatter glimpsed Alice, not hearing her screams for him; only seeing her terror for him. Steeling himself, he found his eyes going to Archibades. The Red King's eyes darted to Alice, to the others, to Chesh and the cruel grin grew as if he had read something there. "Perhaps I should break her instead," Archibades said. "If you won't let me have my fun."

"Leave her," Hatter whispered, barely able to find his voice. Chesh stepped forward from his place and put a hand on Alice's shoulder. His eyes went to the Red King's, something passing between them. Archibades gave a loud laugh and his eyes darted back to Hatter.

"Then perhaps you will be enough fun. I want those secrets," he stated as he suddenly whirled on his foot. Hatter was thrown in the air onto the ground before the Red King, coughing up blood as he tried to get to his knees. The others were still frozen, half in horror and Alice turned to Chesh.

"Help him!" she begged and the Cheshire turned cool eyes to her.

"I can't. Understand, Alice, that my magic is only so powerful and only meant to keep your power safe until I can get you to the manor," he answered.

"Please...help him!" she begged again. She stared at him with desperate eyes and looked back to the gate where Hatter had fallen to his stomach again. Archibades kneeled over him, looking at the back of the young man's head.

"How like your grandfather you are...and how like your **father** , for falling in love with an Oyster is the stupidest move you can make," he said lowly as he drew a 10/6 onto Hatter's cheek with Hatter's blood that was leaking from a cut on his forehead. Clicking his tongue, he grabbed hold of Hatter's head and pressed his fingers into the man's temples, plunging headlong into Hatter's mind.

* * *

_The moment his power began to seep into Hatter something snapped, like a bear trap triggered by a twig. Hatter's mind, carefully crafted and moulded by experience and his own teachings, instantly rebelled with far more strength than Archibades had anticipated as he tried to pull the secrets from Hatter. This was old magic, created to protect the young man, and Archibades struggled. His own power was not natural nor old, a new magic he had been gifted with by his benefactor and he was still very rusty. Way back, he and his allies had torn the old Hatter's mind apart with long torture but he did not have the time now, and even then old Hatter had only told him something of a hint as to where to find what he had been looking for._

_It was as if the bloodline had become stronger in the years instead of weaker. The boy had not radiated any sort of power unless it had been when protecting the Oyster but even then he had been so sure that the power was simple and easy to shred apart._

_Hatter's mind was a dark dark well that twisted into tunnels and doors, a dizzying array that went by in flashes of bright colour and strange objects that had no clear sight to them. It was a maze at one moment, a tunnel the next, a hallway of doors in another moment. Snarling, Archibades tried one door and was met instantly with the sight of strange clocks screaming that it was six o' clock. Another trip into a tunnel yielded only a strange mouse that was scurrying back and forth between neon tea pots and tea cups, murmuring stories as it went. Strange disembodied voices, all thick with accents and different ranges of madness, whispered around him._

_"Why's a raven like a writin' desk?"_

_"You ruined a perfectly good watch with butter."_

_"Watch tells the year it does, till it stops."_

_"Shouldn't have murdered time then?"_

_The doors drifted away into darkness so utterly stark that it hurt the eyes before there was another rumble like thunder. Bright lightening strikes that held beauty and danger scurried across the darkness of the well when he came back out and suddenly found himself face to face with Hatter._

_"Give it to me!" he ordered, using his power to try to grasp the young man's throat. The dark eyes glittered._

_"You can't have it, because you can't see it," Hatter answered, twisting around and taking a small mirror into his hands. With a strange laugh he flickered it at Archibades' face. "Something you always want but can never have, when you finally have it, you can never keep it." Archibades' frustration was nearly at its peak as he reached out for Hatter but he turned. "You wanted to get into my mind after all."_

_The sudden pull let Archibades know that he was no longer in control, trapped in this strange strange mind. It was like the floor dropped beneath their feet and they were falling, Hatter fading from view with a whistle. Archibades' vision went distorted as confusing words whispered in his ears. He realized the trap, unusual trap that it was, of stepping into this mind. For the first time, he felt fear and struggled to pull himself away as the strangeness of Hatter's mind began to twist at him._

_The madness that lay here was terrifying, the potential power in it terrifying. This was very old magic, something created and refined to such intricacies that it could never be copied nor redone. The strange animals such as the borogroves that bounced all about the Red King were chirping playfully until he swatted at him and then they set upon him with a fierceness. Yelling, he swatted at them and they scampered away. The whistling sound in the air was almost too high pitched, painful and piercing in the tight confinement. He fell through another door and stumbled into darkness, the light of a nearby lantern the only thing that kept Archibades from falling further. Whirling around to try to find the door Archibades nearly tripped over a small boy that suddenly appeared behind him, sitting with his top hat on his lap. The boy flashed him a toothy grin and gave the hat an expert toss. "A cuppa tea for yer trouble, eh?"_

_Archibades growled, going to kick at the boy and the boy faded from view, reappearing behind him. The boy was whistling away, the awful sound making Archibades press his hands to his ears. The boy was likely Hatter, a young version of Hatter, with his dark hair already wild and brown eyes dancing with pure amusement at the sight of the Red King. Where children had once quailed and dreamt nightmares of him, this child simply laughed at him._

_"Gonna get in trouble, I am. Killin' time as I am," the boy declared, sounding puzzled. His eyes suddenly went to Archibades. "Aren't ye supposed ta be goin' somewhere by now?"_

_Then, with one unmistakably strong shove, Archibades was tossed from the Hatter's mind like a rag doll._

 

* * *

 

He went flying away from Hatter's body to the shock of Jack and the Knave. Chesh's eyes glinted in curiosity as he slowly tiptoed toward the cracked orb that had released the Red King. Archibades was staring at Hatter in an odd horror, his eyes wild and his clothing in disarray. It had seemed as if time had frozen to them but Archibades seemed, for the first time, shaken. Chesh's foot struck the orb and he promptly crushed it beneath his heel.

The Red King twisted to stare at him, eyes dancing with sudden amusement as he realized who had done it. Chesh gave him a look as the Red King slowly faded from view, a look that made the Red King smile smugly. Chesh raised his chin before looking around at the others. Once the Red King was gone his power released the others completely, sending them sprawling to their knees. Alice struggled with the numbness in her legs as she staggered towards Hatter.

"Hatter...Hatter..." she muttered as she reached him and put a hand on his shoulder. He was still lying on his stomach, his breathing shallow as she tried to pull him upright. Hatter seemed to be dead to the world though he was breathing and she shook his shoulder desperately. He woke himself up then, taking a deep breath as his fingers curled into the snow and grass and his arms stretched before his head like a cat stretching. Beneath his hands the snow melted and dripped, and he gave a deep ragged groan. He was moving though and Alice sighed in relief, hands going to his shoulders while he pushed himself up from the ground into a crouch. Ready for a sarcastic quip or a complaint about having to save her once more, she was utterly unprepared for the shock of seeing his face, his eyes.

It was as if the curious warmth she had always seen in him had been completely drained away. His face was drawn into a blank look that reminded her of a starving, beaten animal, one ready to accept whatever abuse came its way. This was not Hatter; not the washed out skin or the lack of emotion. Whatever had been done had gone very deep within him, Alice realised. It had left only dark eyes and a maniacal look in them that made her, for the first time, afraid of the one person she had never feared.


	21. Poisoned Rook

"Hatter?" Charlie asked over Alice's shoulder, staring at his young friend. "Are you unhurt?"

The young man still crouched seemed to shiver once. His face was still marked by the 10/6, his eyes wide and staring. Alice stood, unable to help her desperate look at the others. Wishing that someone could explain to her how a simple moment in time had nearly destroyed the usually vibrant Hatter. Even his moments of introspection or melancholy could compare. Hadn't he won? Hadn't the Red King seemed repelled by trying to get into Hatter's head? Alice did not think of what may have happened inside of his head, all she cared about was that Hatter was changed. Chesh was to the side, looking at the White Manor with no expression on his face while the Knave looked more confused than interested. Jack, however, saw the sudden fear lingering in her eyes and gave her a look. He couldn't comfort her, as puzzled by Hatter as she.

"Hatter?" Charlie repeated as he stood up, his armour clanging as he walked close behind Alice.

"Physically speaking," Hatter answered dully as he found and grabbed his hat nearby. He stood, taking a deep breath as if to steady himself. It didn't seem to do any good as he swayed unsteadily on his feet and shook his head back and forth. "Though one has to wonder about the metaphysical of it all. I think what you really need to know is if my head is at rights. It ain't. Sprang the trap but now it's not at resetting."

Jack and the Knave glanced at one another at the strangeness in his voice. The tone of it was off for him, enough that even Knave, who did not know Hatter well, realized it. The Knave stared at Hatter once more, trying to read what could be wrong with him. His suspicions were only suspicions and he did not like the look of this.

"Hatter," Chesh said, coming close beside Jack, his cat-green eyes surprisingly dark. He gave the man an easy grin. "The Red King must have done something to you. You need to sit down. Take your ease. I'm sure you can recover."

Hatter stiffened up, as if the sound of Chesh's smooth voice had triggered something inside of him. He gave his head a shake, murmuring to someone about odd creatures that did things in reverse. It was as if he were arguing with himself before deciding on what to do. Even watching him as he was, Jack barely had time to move when Hatter turned and backhanded Chesh hard into the air. He was still controlling his right hand enough that he did not hurt the other man badly but there was an audible thump of flesh being struck. They all stared in shock as Chesh landed hard onto his back, winded and his eyes fluttering in pain. Hatter's eyes narrowed slightly, staying dark, as he shook out his hand and lifted his other fingers to his head. He touched the blood smeared on his face and pulled his fingers away in rapt fascination before his mouth twisted into a disgusted frown. He wiped impatiently at the mark with his sleeve, gradually rubbing it from his skin. The blood stained the sleeve of his leather coat, turning the grey leather dark.

"Hatter, you could have killed him!" Alice said in shock when she was able to find her voice, her mouth still half-open. Hatter's head turned to her and she stepped back, in reflex squaring her shoulders. She felt like she was being faced with some strange man in a dark alley, not the man she knew would never hurt her.

"Wouldn't be that much of a travesty, would it? All light and dark with those types, never a good standing and never a poor one. Just in the middle," Hatter said. His voice almost sounded like he was upset and ready to rage. "And I'd know all about that. Something that growls when it is pleased and wags its tail when upset. When's it bad luck to meet a white cat? When you're the mouse."

Jack stepped forward, interrupting the strange litany. "Hatter, you need to calm down."

"So says the King. Kings..." Hatter gave a scoffing noise and a smile that easily rivalled Chesh's wide grin slowly grew on his face. "Not much more than pawns. Unable to move far and always in need of help. Always finding others to do their work for them. Very vulnerable yet own too much to their own value."

Wisely, Jack took a step backward. Had Hatter at any other time said such words, he may have taken more offence. This was not a time to be upset with the other man. Especially when it was clear how shaky Hatter's control was over himself. "You need to rest, Hatter."

"Do I?" Hatter asked lowly. His fist opened and then closed as if he were trying to grab hold of something. "Feel stuck on the wall myself, nailed to it and as cold as I was in life."

"Hatter, what is with the riddles?" Alice demanded as she moved closer to him, not understanding. She reached out to touch him and he moved out of her grip as if her touch would have burned him. "Hatter, what happened to you?"

His dark eyes didn't turn to her; instead he was staring at the Ivory Woods and the distant ruins they had come from. "What's broken every time it's spoken?" He looked at Alice. "Every time, Alice. Broken every time. You know the answer to this, remember?"

"Hatter, stop this," Alice ordered and he quirked his head to the side as if considering her words. Then he grinned and shrugged. "We need to get to the Manor remember? We need to find the Sceptre and save Wonderland. You know where it is, remember?"

"Oh I remember. Not like I'm ever allowed to forget. Never to forget," Hatter answered cruelly but his harsh words lost their bite as his eyes took on a sudden vacant look. With a low cry he grabbed at his head and bent at the waist. He shook his head rapidly back and forth, crying out with his voice cracked in desperation and fear. "Make this stop. Stupid for letting it get this far. Should have stopped miles back. Should've stopped. Shouldn't have helped it along. Should've put a bullet in my head. Should've done it."

Alice threw a desperate look at Jack, stunned by Hatter's words. The King looked back at her with equal helplessness. Chesh was still lying on the ground some distance away, not moving but unhurt. It was the White Knight that stepped forward. Horrified at the sight of Hatter, Charlie reached out to touch his shoulder but found his collar grabbed. Hatter hauled him in close down beside him and met Charlie's startled bright eyes with his own.

"It's me, Harbinger. Charlie, the White Knight," Charlie said lowly. As if seeing something there, Hatter let him go and gave a groan. He stumbled forward, his hands clasped around his middle again as if he was trying to hold himself. Charlie stood, realizing the irony. Where Hatter and Alice had once thought Charlie mad, it had been a strange eccentricity, the sort that Hatter normally showed. This was something far beyond that was now penetrating Hatter's mind. Something too deep to let go of Hatter easily. Charlie, of all of them, realized that the Red King's invasion had opened something inside of Hatter that the young man was struggling to contain.

"See too much, blind it. Hear too much, chop off the ears. Speak too much, take out the tongue...still can't get rid of it though, still in there," Hatter muttered, raking his hands through his hair and pulling at it as if furious with the dark locks. He was panting for breath, his face grey and drawn as he walked in impatient, dizzying circles. His leather coat was still coated with snow and leaves, the shirt beneath torn in patches, his trousers soaked and likely freezing against his skin. Considering how immaculate he tried to keep himself, it was like seeing some darker side of Hatter that held no appeal like it occasionally did. There was no sign of the old Hatter in this. He began to tap at his temples, like someone trying to tell another to think it over. Alice went to touch him, Jack restraining her when Hatter suddenly went charging off back towards the pathway. Shockingly, for all of his madness, he remembered to grab his hat from where it had fallen, fingers almost crushing it.

"No, Alice," Jack ordered as she struggled against him, shouting for Hatter to stop. "We don't know what will happen..."

"I don't care! He needs me!" Alice shouted as she jabbed her elbow hard into his stomach, dodging Charlie and the Knave while Jack gave a grunt and released her. "Let me talk to him!" She ran after Hatter, who was weaving in his steps some distance away and moving incredibly fast though not yet breaking into a run. The others stared after them, Jack starting to step off to follow but Charlie grabbed his arm to restrain him. The White Knight gave him a stricken look that was remarkably sage and worried.

"Let her try."

* * *

Alice had to sprint to catch up to Hatter but he was already around the bend and disappearing from sight. The surrounding trees and snow made for forbidding ground to race over, looking like a wasteland to her eyes. For one terrifying moment she thought he may outrun her though he was not running.

"Hatter!" she yelled as she sprinted harder, rounding the corner and promptly skidding to a halt when she nearly collided with him. Hatter was standing still, having stopped to turn and stare at her, his shoulders heaving as he panted for breath. His skin was had a sickly sheen to it, no colour save for those dark eyes. The fedora gave his face a forbidding shadow. Alice gasped in surprise, stepping back to catch her balance. His strange expression hadn't changed. "Where are you going?"

"It matters?"

"Of course, Hatter," Alice reached out to touch his arm and then dropped her hand to touch his hand. "I need you with me."

"No...you don't. You don't need me and you don't know what you are asking of me," Hatter snapped. "Get away from me."

Then he was turning away, his hands in his hair again. He was muttering, kicking the snow away from his boots "This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to meal; slays kings, ruins town, and beats high mountain down."

"Hatter," Alice whispered, the fear no longer for herself but for the man before her who was in such agony. The fear she felt was deeper and instinctive, knowing that he was almost destroying himself from the inside out. She could see the blood on his knuckles from where he had struck Chesh and the gash on his forehead was still weeping blood.

"Too much time, I have too much time. Need to kill time but can't do it legally. Already saw time killed once and saw what happened," Hatter said lowly, his voice raspy again. His head suddenly lifted and he stared at Alice. "Get away from me."

"I'm not leaving you here," Alice said, trying to grab his arm. "Why didn't you tell me that this could happen? That the Red King may be after you? What he could do?"

"Not like I knew it," Hatter answered roughly. "Not like you would trust me."

"Don't be stupid!" Alice snapped but he straightened and stepped toward her. Alice backed away from him, matching him step for retreating step as he stalked her.

"You trust 'em so easily!" Hatter said in a low voice while nodding to where they had come from. "Trust me that I want you to leave me alone!" Alice was quickly becoming frustrated and angry, trying to understand what he was saying beneath all of the riddles and bizarre phrases. "You made me struggle to gain even a crumb of it! I'm mad not to notice it, you're mad to assume it doesn't matter!"

He suddenly turned away from her, a low pitched laugh that quickly became maniacal and high. Like an insane criminal trapped in an asylum.

"Stop laughing!" Alice yelled at him. Hatter jarred to a stop, his eyes almost black and screaming with madness and agony as he glared at her.

"I would give you everything. Everything, Alice, if you would trust me. Just once, without interruption or hesitation. Trust me that what's in this head...you might not like! And that this is not something I want you for, to play your little heroine part for! Trust me on that!"

They stared at each other silently, Alice stung by his words. Of all the people who had insulted her and she just shrugged it off, his words had a bitter bite to them that tore into her.

"Maybe you never will trust me like I ask...maybe I will have to watch you trust others so easily before you trust me for the rest of my life," Hatter whispered, seeming to crumble at the weight of his words. Alice feeling tears spring to her eyes. His eyes bore the desperate look in them again. "Like a dog waiting for his mistress to reward him."

"Hatter, please..." Alice whispered, tears starting to run down her pale cheeks as she listened to him. He sneered at her.

"Don't you dare cry. Waste of suffering and is criminal here," Hatter snapped, his mind no longer holding any realization of what he was saying. Alice's own anger snapped, blinding her and forcing her to follow his rage with her own.

"How can I trust you now?" Alice bit out furiously, trying to stop her tears. "When you show that I can't. Why didn't you tell me this could happen? Why didn't you trust me?"

She tried to turn from him but found her arm grasped by his right hand. He whipped her about easily.

"You're walking into a trap, Alice! Willingly, like some happy little mouse," Hatter ground out as his grip tightened.

"Hatter," Alice gasped as he pushed her back against a powder white tree. He pressed close against her without sensuality or desire, his eyes two black pools that she couldn't read. She couldn't see a trace of the man he had been just this morning.

"One large trap you are going to walk into because of your blind trust," Hatter said between gritted teeth, his fingers tightening still. The pain suddenly burned in her arm as the strength in his right hand made itself known.

"Hatter, you're hurting me!" Alice cried out as she thrust up with the heel of her hand, catching him in his solar plexus and sending him toppling to the ground. The wind knocked out of him, he stayed there for a moment before slowly getting to his knees and staring at what he had done. Alice sucked in a breath, pulling her arm to her chest and surprised at the shock of pain. There was a large angry red bruise on her forearm, starting to change colour already on her pale skin. The pain was agonizing and she cradled the arm as she stared in shock at Hatter. He was staring at her as well, his face slackened from its maniacal lines to those she remembered. He shook his head this way and that, struggling with himself and his control.

"Alice..." Hatter reached out to touch her arm and she pulled away on instinct. She could see the darkness still in his eyes and his expression, still about to boil over this sudden lapse into the man she knew.

"Go. You wanted me to let you go...go!" she whispered, too blind with her hurt and anger to see the look in his eyes. Too furious to realize what she was saying. "You asked how I can trust them? They can't hurt me like you can, not as deeply as you can. Go and run this out if you have to. You told me that you don't need me to help you. Wish granted."

Hatter stood still as she pushed off away from him and staggered back the way she had come, leaving him alone to stare after her. Then the furious pain was back and tearing into his head, forcing him almost to his knees. Ripping at his hair again, he struggled with the noise in his head. Grabbing hold of his crumpled hat that had fallen onto the ground when Alice had punched him, he staggered blindly down the path.

"Justalice!" Charlie clanged toward her, seeing her white shocked face and grasping hold of her. "Where is your Harbinger?"

"He's not my Harbinger," Alice said, cold fury in her voice. Jack stepped close, lifting her chin with a hand.

"Alice."

"We need to go on, don't we?" she demanded but Jack held her still, gingerly taking her hurt arm in his. The Knave stepped close as well, his eyes lavender as he looked at the bruised limb. He could see the signs of a fracture despite the unbroken skin and met Jack's enquiring gaze with a shake of his head. Alice was too shocked to feel much pain yet, her eyes shining with tears.

"Let me wrap this up for you. You'll have to carry it in a sling," the Knave said. Chesh, who had perched himself atop the gate, wiped at the corner of his bloody mouth as he watched them. The Knave removed his coat and removed his waistcoat, shredding the thin blue garment into strips. Alice stayed still, staring off into the distance as he bound and slung her arm.

"Alice, Hatter is not himself," Jack began and she gave a shaky laugh.

"What told you that?" she asked sarcastically but he pressed on, not knowing why he wanted to defend the other man. He turned her around and put his arms around her to comfort her.

"I don't think he was in there. Hatter would never hurt you and you know that," he insisted. "And don't tell me otherwise." Alice sank her teeth into her lower lip, remembering just hours before when Hatter had held her and touched her with such reverence.

"I know," she whispered, resting her head against Jack's chest for a moment.

Chesh leapt down from the gate. "Strange way of showing it though."

His sarcastic voice invaded Alice's head and she blinked.

"We need to go. Who's to know if the Black Knight will be back with his men?" Chesh pointed out. Alice opened her mouth to speak, looking back the way she had come. The Knave caught her eyes but Charlie was over with his pair of horses, rubbing Guinevere's small ears gently.

"Alice...did you tell him to go?" he asked and at her nod he sucked in his breath. Whatever had happened to Hatter, he doubted that the young man wanted to linger around. He had hurt Alice and from what he understood, which was little, Hatter would take that to such severeness that he'd likely walk himself into oblivion.

"He'll be fine," Chesh said suddenly and they all looked at him. "He'll likely hit the glimmer, going that way. They're easy enough to find and he'll be fine. Be thrown right back to the beginning. Whatever happened to him, he'll likely sleep it off and never remember it. It's the way these things run with old magic. Just need a good sleep to...revive, as it were."

"We need him," Jack said. "He's the only one who would remember where the Sceptre is."

 _And_ , Jack thought with sudden realization, _Alice will need him._

"We're running out of time," the Knave murmured as he looked at the sky.

"Then we need to try. The Knave is right. If we find the Sceptre, maybe it can help Hatter control his memories, his madness. Maybe there's hints. Something we can use," Alice said finally after some silence. Chesh nodded but Jack held her still.

"Alice, we'll look for him after we find the Sceptre. You have my word," Jack whispered to her alone and she nodded. Chesh, not hearing them, had his eyes on the horses.

"White Manor is full of history, there should be something." He nodded to the quiet horses. "You need to leave them out here. You'll be back for them in a few hours."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Quite."

That being said, he looped Guinevere's reins over her head and gave the mare a clap on her shoulder. "Go along, my queen. Find the Vassal and ensure his safety."

The mare seemed to understand somehow and went trotting down the path to the shock of the others. Charlie turned to them, straightening his shoulders and seeming quite serious. "She is his horse now and she will go where he goes."

He missed the annoyed look that Chesh shot him before the Cheshire turned to the Gates. As Alice followed them in, she glanced over her shoulder at where Hatter had gone, longing to follow him yet still feeling the agony in her arm from where it was slung. She knew that he was doing what he knew was best, felt that was best, but if she lost him what would she do? Alice trembled with fear. Longing for the hours to turn back to where she was lying in his arms; lying in his arms and wondering if he did love her as he had whispered. Wondered what may have changed if she had held him just a moment longer.

When they passed into the large garden maze, Alice wished that she had been able to hold him tighter and save him from his madness.

* * *

Hatter plunged head on through the Ivory Woods, mindlessly moving without regard as to what he may run into. Sometimes running, sometimes walking, sometimes even crawling as his mind began to warp itself around his pain. _I need a glimmer...shining light,_ Hatter thought in a moment of clarity before he fell back into his swirling madness. The desperate look he bore was nearly permanent, the blood dripping from his gash blinding his one eye. He was barely aware of his reason for moving, finding a shining glimmer like a man searching for an oasis and slipping through it. Vaguely aware of the sound of hooves behind him, Hatter felt the Checkerboard Taiga toss him back out in directly into the Kingdom of the Knights once more at its southern border, the rush of sensation nothing compared to the pounding in his head. Nothing seemed real, not the trees he passed nor the ruins he sometimes stumbled into. Whatever he did hear screeched into his head and joined the whirlwind there, playing on his senses so that he saw strange cats and rabbits pointing for him to go different ways, one a tiny white rabbit that held up a watch to him as he passed it. He laughed hysterically at that, shaking his head back and forth.

"Why's time always running...with nothing to catch it," Hatter muttered as he staggered through the paths, surrounded by ruins. His mind, the part of it that was holding out to complete and total insanity, knew. It knew that it had to get away from all of the madness, to rest and heal itself. The clarity lasted only paltry seconds before Hatter fell to his knees, clutching his head tightly in his hands. He gave a high pitched laugh that vibrated in his own ears. "Need a party...a tea party. Everyone's going to be late, no enough crumbs to last. Latest is Alice. Almost late. Still late, but then, I'm early."

_Alice..._

He tipped his head back and screamed then, the scream fading out as a strangled low yell while he raked at the back of his neck with his fingers. _Alice_. Memory of her frightened and distrusting face swam in his vision, the sight of her bruising arm a nightmare to him. His Alice, not the Alice he could never trust in the beginning, but his Alice. The one just hours before he had whispered his love for and shared a bitter memory of a family he sorely missed. The one he had hurt in his madness and lack of control. _His Alice_.

 _"Alice will never get the riddle. Off with her head, then right rip-roaring down a rabbit hole,"_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own whispered in his mind. He whimpered again, wishing the voice away. Wishing for it to stop as he got to his feet and tried to walk.

When the voice began to repeat and echo in his mind, Hatter slammed his fists into a nearby ruin, the well made stone and marble crumbling and cracking at the blows as he tried to chase the voices from his head with pain. His knuckles bloodied quickly, his arms screaming with the agony of the blows. Yet the voices didn't stop and he pushed himself away from the ruin, collapsing to his knees when his world spun around him.

The snow was blowing harder now, tossing his hat from his head and sending a chill down his back while flakes of it rested on his hair. He stayed on his knees, his trousers gradually soaking through from the snow. Hatter tilted his head back after a moment, licking the snow from suddenly parched lips. Struggling to control his breathing, Hatter stood, swaying to where his hat had blown onto a ruin. He kept muttering as he walked, the sound of his own voice strangely calming. He spoke old riddles both with and without answers, lyrics to poems that were disjointed, anything he could to drown out the noise in his head.

"How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spread his claws," Hatter recited, giving a half smile while he tripped along, the distance between himself and the hat seeming to grow even though he came close. "And welcome little fishes in, with gently smiling jaws!"

He laughed at the end of the rhyme, the sound making the pounding in his head pure agony. Every secret he kept, every ridiculous little thing he could recall... everything was threatening to spew forth and drive him down the final steps to a path he couldn't return from. Hatter's mind was struggling with the trap he had learned how to build as a boy, ensnaring him as easily as it had ensnared the Red King. The very struggle that his father and grandfather had suffered through and lost in the end.

_"Do y'know why they call me Hatter?"_

_"Because you wear a hat?"_

Hatter moaned at the memory of Alice's voice before his vision changed, letting him see his father holding up a tiny ring and a gold twisted sceptre. He locked them together as he turned the ring into one of the strange open ridges on the sceptre. _"See, puppy? Easy as pie on a spit."_

He pushed the memory away and grabbed at his hat, leaning on the ruined knight statue. When he leaned to take a shaky breath, he caught sight of a faint reflection on a slice of a broken mirror. Using the ruin to hold himself up, he grabbed the mirror and brought it close to his face, staring at himself. The smeared blood on his cheek, the snow and blood in his hair and even worse, the utterly mad darkness in his eyes. Darkness that had terrified Alice and the others.

_Alice..._

Whimpering as the agony continued, he looked away from his reflection and crushed the mirror in his right hand, barely feeling the burning slice it caused in his palm. He had hurt Alice, someone he had always tried so hard to gain his trust from, and yet he couldn't remember what he had said. What had he said to cause such tears? He couldn't remember and he should remember but his madness twisted his visions of Alice in his head. Hatter slammed his right fist into one of the large concrete ruins and barely registered the crumble of it. He repeated the action until his hand became bloody and he began to lose his strength, the pain in his hand nothing but a numbing sensation. Turning as fast as he could, he started to push himself off the ruin before his stomach did a plunge into his boots. The blood drained from his face as he realized a cutting truth about his descent into madness. He would hurt her again and again if he raced back to find her as he wanted to. What he may do was terrifying in this thoughts, the voices in his ears screaming for attention as his mind threatened to release its contents in a wave that would cripple him. He could...no, he would hurt her unless he could stop himself from this terrifying descent. He just didn't know how to stop this, that was the one thing he had never been taught. If he went back to her, he would hurt her...and under the madness he would never stand for it.

 _"I feared it might injure the brain; but, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, why, I do it again and again,_ " he recited unconsciously, grabbing at his head with his hands.

Hatter felt his desperation increasing to end the voices and visions in his head. They were swirling louder and louder, colours dancing in his vision permanently now and causing his eyes to dart back and forth. What could he do? He had no one to control him and he was strong, strong enough to cause permanent damage even if he ever stumbled upon someone who could help him. There was no one but him and he had to find a way. Had to.

"I can't hurt Alice," he whispered.

Ready to scream as the pressure in his head started to reach its brink, he slapped his palm against his cheek to distract himself. The dull pain lanced through his head, joining the pressure and he did it again and again. There was no end and he crumbled to his knees against another collapsed ruin of a wall. Staring at it blindly, he took in the smooth stone surface through his hazy eyes. The pressure and noise seemed to double in his mind and Hatter screamed, slamming his forehead hard into the ruin's edge with a loud crack. Blood and brilliant stars swam in his vision for a moment before he collapsed unconscious into the snow.


	22. An Obvious Secret

The White Manor Grounds were well kept despite their obvious abandonment: manicured and almost completely uniform in colouring. What ran like wild weeds were tall ivory lily and blue tulip flowers that lined the massive trees in random bunches and lines. The Manor's buildings were surrounded by trees and were now dull in the sunlight, the sudden bright light showing just how worn and ancient the Manor was. The hedgerow maze, seeming complicated at first, was almost too easy; arrows had been painted on the green bushes to lead them out and onward. When the hedge maze ran its course, it parted onto a wide marble fountain that was accented by an ivory statue of a large crow in mid-flight. In its frozen state there was a tarnished sword that had been thrown at it and still stuck from its ivory breast.

Despite the grotesque maiming of the statue, it and the Manor made an impressive sight to the eye...yet Alice saw none of it. When the others stopped to look or speak on it, she simply stepped ahead of them to continue on her way. She moved blindly, lost in thought as she cradled her arm in its sling. There could have been gold lined emerald stairs before her and she wouldn't have seen it. Her mind was back in the Ivory Woods, back at the gate of the White Manor. Back to the Red King's attack and the reason why her arm was now hung in the makeshift sling.

Chesh leapt up the stairs before her, not wanting to be out done by her yet. Waiting for the others to follow them, he paced before the large mahogany wood seemed eager to go in, eager to open the doors. Alice, staring at him closely, thought that if he had indeed been a cat that he might have twitched his tail. Or purred. When Jack came to her shoulder and cleared his throat, Chesh grinned and grabbed hold of one of the silver door handles. "May I present the White Manor?" he asked as he pushed hard.

The door swung open with a rusty creak and groan, revealing a massive foyer that would have made any Queen green with envy. Alice followed the others in, taking her time as she looked around and wondered at the sight. This could have been her world, for certain; could have been a trip to one of the old estates in England. There were long staircases that curved around the foyer room, pale green and white marble that still shone. The high walls were lined with faux pillars and accented by odd paintings of royalty that Alice could not recognize. The one closest to her was of a young girl of fifteen or so, who nearly oozed the temperament of a spoiled princess from her still features. The same imperious look that Jack could give at will but her eyes held none of the warmth that he masked so very well. She was dressed intricately, like a queen with massive white furs and a puffy blue ball-gown. It was odd how a simple painting could tell her so much about someone she had never met.

Overhead, she could see a large stain-glass skylight that was in the shape of a wide dome that covered from the doors to the stairs. It leant the room more light and Alice looked back to see that were only three doors on the first floor of the foyer. One to her left, one to her right, and one straight ahead. There were no other doors that she could see and she glanced up at the stairs. The stairs circled to a small balcony, and they seemed to lead into a long hallway on both sides. Glancing up at the sky light, she saw that the stain glass was painted with flying birds circling a garden. It was almost familiar and she frowned to herself.

Charlie touched her elbow, muttering to himself about such finery while he led her to where the others had drifted into through the door closest to them. Chesh was walking about leisurely, tilting his head this way and then that way while nodding to himself. The room was furnished with what seemed to be Victorian furniture: finely painted and carved wood gilt frames with embroidered cushions, a silver gyroscope that was moving slowly in the draft and old maps sprawled on a large desk. The walls were carved into with tall bookcases and leather-bound books lined the shelves, giving a musty smell to the old room. Yet despite the room's old appearance, it too lacked any real warmth.

"The Whites were readers for certain," Chesh said as he went to check the adjoining parlour. Alice took her time looking about, trying to understand why this simply seemed so...normal. In all of Wonderland, she had never seen something this normal. Hatter's home had traces of eccentricities, the Hearts Casino had been a cold yet odd building filled with strange rooms. This place was somehow peculiar because it was so normal. Turning on her heel, she noticed a low chaise placed beside one of the massive bay windows. There was a tea tray set beside the chaise, breadcrumbs and a stained teacup still on the tray. Frowning, Alice touched the teacup and saw a tiny amount of tea still left inside of it. She looked over the tray, moving it slightly, and noticed the book lying on the chaise pressed open to a page. Alice picked up the book gingerly and turned it over, smoothing her fingers gingerly over the fine gold lettering on the cover.

"Through the Looking Glass," she whispered as she read the title. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head. "Just great."

Jack came to her side and she showed him the book. It drew a wry chuckle from him before he noticed her exasperation and quickly wiped the smirk from his face. He cleared his throat instead and looked around. The room was quiet even with all of them crowded into it, the sound of the gyroscope creaking the only noise they heard. Alice watched Jack move over to where Charlie was toying with a light fixture that sparked red light whenever he struck it. Unable to help herself, she sank down onto the chaise and propped the book open onto her lap with her good hand. It was dog-eared, pressed to a specific spot and clearly the last page that had been read.

_"What sort of things do you remember best?' Alice ventured to ask._

_``Oh, things that happened the week after next,' the Queen replied in a careless tone. `For instance, now,' she went on, sticking a large piece of plaster [band-aid] on her finger as she spoke, `there's the King's Messenger. He's in prison now, being punished: and the trial doesn't even begin till next Wednesday: and of course the crime comes last of all.'_

_``Suppose he never commits the crime?' said Alice._

_`That would be all the better wouldn't it?' the Queen said, as she bound the plaster round her finger with a bit of ribbon._

_Alice felt there was no denying that. `Of course it would be all the better,' she said: `but it wouldn't be all the better his being punished.'_

_`You're wrong there, at any rate,' said the Queen: `were you ever punished?'_

_`Only for faults,' said Alice._

_`And you were all the better for it, I know!' the Queen said triumphantly._

_`Yes, but then I had done the things I was punished for,' said Alice: `that makes all the difference.'_

_`But if you hadn't done them,' the Queen said, `that would have been better still; better, and better, and better!'_

It was an odd part to leave on, she thought. Alice herself had always enjoyed the part about meeting The White King and the Humpty Dumpty chapter more. Those were the more inquisitive chapters that her father had enjoyed having her read with him, teaching her the rhymes and then letting her pester her mother with the rhymes. This part had always bothered her; even as a child she had declared to her ever-patient father that it was just not right or fair. How cruel to put someone in a prison just because you assumed he was guilty. He had explained that it was what some people believed and she had argued with him for hours on it until he had sighed and swore to never read that chapter to her again.

Those were hours that Alice still held dear to her heart.

Still bothered and unsettled by the memory of her father, Alice set the book down to one side and frowned to herself. She was puzzling over the words, unable to shake the feeling that finding that book was a bad omen when coming into this Manor. A silly thought, she decided. To one side of her, the Knave was standing at the door, his eyes that odd lavender shade that shone whenever he was looking for something, and Charlie was still checking the bookshelves. "Such antiques! Tomes of old," he murmured excitedly. "One has to wonder what knowledge lingers here!"

"Nothing here of value, you know." Chesh had spoken from the door away, having put his glasses back onto his head. "Whatever was left was likely looted by their one time servants and sold on the black markets in exchange for Emotions when the Queen of Hearts took over. The Manor is practically empty of anything I imagine. If you are intending to search it, I would suggest we split up to find the other levels."

"I don't like the idea of that," Jack said. He was loading his short barrel, dusting off the muzzle meticulously to conceal his agitation. "We don't know what's here."

"I do. Dust. Dust dust and more dust," Chesh drawled. "Splitting up is the best course of action. There are over 100 rooms on the first level, three hundred between the others. Splitting up is the best option you know."

"Doesn't make it any safer," Jack argued. Alice looked up at the pair, noticing how Jack seemed to be standing before her for a reason. She sent his back a quizzical look and he actually turned to glance at her. He nodded his head at her, as if he were telling her something and she frowned. Getting to her feet, she dusted off her skirt with her good hand and sighed. She was getting very tired of having to guess people's thoughts.

"I do not relish the idea of going through this haunted place alone," Charlie admitted."Not that I am frightened that is. I am a Knight, we do not feel fear you know."

They all stared at him and he blushed.

"I just do not think it is safe to go our own ways."

"Maybe we could split into partners," the Knave said. Jack nodded and looked at Alice, making it clear that he wanted her to choose what to do. Alice glanced between them all.

"Jack and I can take the top level, Chesh and the Knave the bottom level. After two hours, we'll meet back at the stairwell and we can go from there. Charlie?" Alice asked. The White Knight promptly gave a bow.

"As always, it is my privilege to protect and serve you, Justalice," he declared. "I shall use my power over the Black Arts to peer through the veils of time and discover the whereabouts of the Sceptre. Once I know what it looks like of course."

Struck by the question, Alice blinked and thought it over. In their eagerness to get to the Manor, she had never really learned much about the Sceptre. "What **does** it look like, Jack?"

He stared at the wall for a moment, as if thinking it over before he smiled. Clearly pleased that he remembered, Jack missed Alice's irritated look. "From what legend says, it's a twisted gold rod capped with four blue sapphires. Ivory handle as well," Jack explained, holding his hands a foot apart to show its size. "I just wish Hatter had told us where to find it..."

Alice thought it over, rubbing her hand over her arm unconsciously. "I don't remember what he said exactly. Or if he was ever very specific. He did tell me one time, when we were alone, that it was easy to find but that was what made it hard to find. I'm still a little fuzzy on it. But that means it's likely in an obvious place...a bedroom or a throne room if we can find it. It would make sense for the bedrooms to be on the second floor, the throne rooms on the second I guess."

"An idea that we're going to have to go with. Shall we?" the Knave asked, gesturing to Chesh. The Cheshire gave him a shrug and walked to the parlour room, striding through with a light whistle. The Knave followed him, the others moving slowly. Alice looked back at the book on the chaise and frowned.

"Alice?" Charlie asked and she jerked out of her thoughts. He gestured for her to hurry and she scooted through the door, her boots slipping on the marble floor. The Knave and Chesh were already disappearing through the other set of doors, Jack halfway up the stairs. Just before the door clicked shut, Chesh poked his head back through the door.

"Go in straight lines. All the doors will be connected to each other. We'll go left first, then I would suggest the right. It will be easier to find your way back. Just remember not to get distracted."

* * *

Alice and Jack let Charlie trail behind them when they finally finished climbing the long stairs and made their way down the long hallway. Jack took the left side of the hall, Alice the right, opening and closing the various doors for quick looks inside the rooms. Used to her own world, Alice was rather awed by the sight of the luxuriously painted rooms that all seemed to have different themes in the murals on their walls. There were forests, oceans, cities and meadows painted on the walls or on the ceilings, some so life-like that she thought she could have walked into a forest if she moved into the room. She controlled the urge to go and stare at the murals.

Alice could feel, in her very shoes, that there was nothing in these rooms that could hold a sceptre. It was a feeling that niggled at the back of her mind, the same sort of feeling she had had in the parlour room when she had read that part of the book. The further they walked down the hall, the more that Alice noticed that there was even an vibe to the rooms she checked. A sense of utter stillness, perhaps owing to the fact that many were empty. They were hollow rooms, beautifully etched and painted along the walls and ceilings but there was nothing else within them. Glancing over at Jack, Alice saw that his rooms were identical to hers. Charlie stayed close behind them, his hands to his temples as he made odd murmuring.

"Ah, the mists yet part to reveal secrets..."

Alice shook her head and thought of Hatter again. Had he known this place as child or had his family kept him away from it all? Was it possible that he had wandered these halls and learned of every strange room and hallway? It certainly fit what she knew of Hatter to somehow know something about this strange place.

She slowly opened yet another door and the sight of the room stole her breath. It was a beautiful bedroom and study, easily the size of her entire apartment. There was gold gilt lining the carved etchings in the wall, several vanity tables and a large fireplace with gold screening. There were a few small bookshelves and a weaving loom that was framed by a window. To the other side was a massive ivory bed framed white curtains that were flowing with the icy breeze that came from one of the broken windows. Awed, Alice stepped into it further and turned around in a slow circle. This was one of the rare rooms with furnishings, the fullness in the room making it a stark difference from the others.

"Beautiful..." Alice whispered as she stepped to a large bay window. It overlooked a small courtyard garden now covered in snow and she sighed at the sight, involuntarily shivering. The snow made the Manor seem more dead and lifeless than it already was. Turning on her heel, Alice glanced over the room again and started to walk back to the door but a glimmer caught her eye. Her blue eyes widened when she glanced over a vanity table braced against a wall that was covered by a white sheet. Not sure why she did it, she pulled the sheet off and jumped when her own reflection stared back at her. She looked extremely pale, even for her, her eyes huge and her clothing was still rumpled. The sling on her shoulder certainly did not make her appearance any more appealing. Giving a shake of her head, Alice turned around and looked at the still open door.

Charlie was staggering around in the hallway, his eyes wide and staring. Jack gave her a gesture that demanded she come out and she frowned, following them out of the room.

"What is it?" she asked Jack as she watched Charlie.

"I was hoping you could tell me. He's been doing this for the past minute or so," Jack answered, his voice tight with annoyance.

"Oh, the veils have parted...such wondrous wooden soldiers and chess games for all," Charlie was saying rapidly. Alice and Jack frowned at each other as Charlie's voice became higher pitched and simply repeated the phrases over and over. Alice remembered her earlier thoughts about Hatter, about his family, and touched Jack's sleeve to stop him from following the Knight.

"When you were a child, where would a playroom be?"

"In my mother's case, she'd likely have thrown me in the Truth Room with eyeballs for company," he answered dryly. "Thanks to Father, I had a small one on the near their rooms so that I couldn't get in to too much trouble."

"I'm thinking we should find one," Alice said and he shook his head.

"Off of Charlie's ramblings?" He flicked a hand at the staggering White Knight. "Which, I may point out, he does very frequently as it is."

"Hatter told me that sometimes he was right when he rambled," Alice pointed out and Jack rolled his eyes. Alice tossed her head back and sighed. "Do you have a better idea?"

Jack thought it over before shaking his head. "All right. Let's hope it is this way and that he is not just slipping into dementia."

Charlie suddenly brayed out some bizarre word and went clanging down the hall, leaving Alice and Jack to stare after him. Alice went after him first, calling out his name to try to slow him down while Jack rolled his eyes again and set off after them a bit slower, jogging along so that he could make sure he didn't miss anything that may be a possible clue. Charlie wasn't slowing down even when Alice called out his name but he wasn't very fast it was with his heavy armour and bow-legged stride. Alice had nearly caught up to him when he suddenly stopped and she ran into his back, bouncing back with a grunt..

"Santus Appeara!" Charlie declared nobly. "I have found the way!" The White Knight stayed remarkably upright, turning on his right and opening the door there with a flourish. Alice followed him blindly right into a junk closet and sighed as he crashed through, leaving her at the door. It smelled like old mould and she wrinkled her nose, seeing only cleaning supplies about them and various pots and pans. Behind them, Jack cleared his throat and opened the door to the other side. He gave Alice a look and she noticed that the room was bright and far more open. Alice tapped Charlie on the shoulder and followed Jack into the other room.

Like the bedroom she had found, this one was full of old furnishings and boxes stacked along the walls. There were large barred windows that were coated with frost, some boarded up and others with cracked glass. The toy chests that were stacked near a fire place all seemed to be filled to the brim and Jack quickly went to one of the chests, Alice following him. Together they dug through tiny wooden and metal toys and blank drawing pads, finding small knick-knacks and marbles as well. There was nothing but toys and it was the same through the other boxes. When Alice went through the boxes near the wall she found that they were all empty, and some so rotted that they broke apart in her hands. Charlie was still in the junk closet by the sound of the crashing boxes across the hall and Alice gave a frustrated groan. She stood and planted her good hand on her hip.

"It's just toys. Maybe it's the wrong room," she said. Jack thrust another toy back into the last chest and pounded his palms on the lid.

"Damn. This room, the others...they're nothing but bare shells," Jack snapped as stood and he spun on his heel. "There's nothing here but toys. Maybe Chesh and the Knave have had more luck."

Alice sighed and walked to the windows, tipping her head on the side. An unbelievably strong longing to feel Hatter's reassuring cocksure presence struck her and she leaned against the wall, flexing her fingers into fists. The dim light in the building caused the snow to reflect against her face and eyes. Trembling as the light lingered over her skin, she lifted her good hand and touched the gryphon mark on her neck, remembering Hatter's touch as he traced the mark with his fingers and then his lips _._ Her mind went back to just hours earlier, when she had been curled close to him in bed and unaware that they were about to be ripped apart.

_"Granddad took it in trust and hid it in the Manor, likely in one of the children's rooms before it was abandoned. Always said that royals and oysters were dense and could never see what was right in front of them anyway," Hatter said, shrugging._

His voice still strong in her memory and the feel of his fingers on her skin lingering, Alice took a deep breath. It was still painful, even the phantom memory of him making her ache. Then her logic caught up to what her memory had been pushing at her and she put her head on the side.

"Never see what was right in front of them," she whispered as she leaned up from the wall. "Right in front of them." She glanced over and saw Jack still staring out the window, his jaw tense and clearly frustrated. "Maybe Charlie is right."

Jack looked over at her when she joined him at the window. Alice tipped her head back, ignoring his confused look as she slowly ran her hand along the bars before him. They were old and rusted, some flaking off small bits into her hand. They were icy cold to the touch, still coated with frost but as she moved before Jack, Alice touched a bar that was actually warm. It was almost as if she had put her hand around a warm cup of tea and she wrapped her fingers tighter around it. She glanced back at a confused Jack and then turned around. Licking her lips nervously, Alice pulled on the bar and was jolted by shock of heat up her arm. She was dimly aware of Jack wrapping his arms around her to hold her upright, her vision darkening and changing.

_Opening her eyes again, Alice's vision was filled with what looked like the Ivory Woods, though the light was golden instead of dull silver. She stared at it and turned around in shock._

Jack watched her as she pulled out of his arms and stood in the middle of the room holding a rusted iron bar. Her face had an odd expression of wonder and he looked around, seeing nothing in the room but the boxes.

_Alice turned and held the bar up before herself, staring at it in confusion before looking up at the vaguely familiar woods. There was a pounding on the ground and she whipped around to see what looked like a white horse racing up to her. It slid to a stop mere inches from her and reared, its body a making an ivory arch in the sunlight. As she stared, she saw that it was, of all things, a unicorn. This couldn't be happening, Alice thought, but the proof was there when she felt the weight of the bar in her hands. Slack-jawed, Alice tried to move but found her feet suddenly frozen. The unicorn planted its feet to the ground and lowered its head, its blue eyes blazing with a strangely human intelligence._

_"You seek the Royal Sceptre? For what?" it demanded. Alice held up the bar and saw that it had changed to a twisted gold horn capped with sapphires. Stunned, she looked back at the Unicorn._

_"I'm trying to save Wonderland from the Red King," she answered, feeling more than a little stupid. "The Red King Archibades...I need to save my friend's kingdom. He's destroying Wonderland."_

_"You don't sound terribly sure about your purpose. That is odd." The Unicorn gave a snort._

_"You things...this is another hallucination. You don't exist."_

_`Well now. I am standing before you so clearly I do,' said the Unicorn, "you aren't confused by me but by yourself._

_Alice firmed her jaw. "I came all this way..."_

_"And evidently have lost your way. Strange, you have potential yet you are confused. You love and do not trust, and you trust but do not love. What manner of creature are you?" the Unicorn asked as it came close enough that she felt its breath on her cheek._

_"I'm Alice."_

_"The other Alice, the dark to the light. Interesting. I last saw an Oyster when I battled the Lion and won," the Unicorn snorted out. "I gifted her with my horn at the time and with it she won the Chess Game against the Royals. A marvellous victory. Are you her equal?"_

_"I'm just Alice." Alice shrank back at the sudden light in the creature's eyes. It almost seemed to be laughing at her._

_"Then, Justalice, as you have reached the final square and as you are an Alice, you have managed to win a token and it is now yours." The Unicorn reached out with its muzzle and touched her face with it. Alice felt a blast of hot air on her cheek and promptly fell out of the vision._

Jack was ready to catch her as she fell to her knees, holding her gently. Alice was gasping for breath and her cheeks were flushed, her free hand now clutching a gold sceptre. He stared at it in shock and then looked at her as he helped her stand once more. The three sapphires glowed for a moment, giving a blue sheen to Alice's skin before they faded. Alice shook her head and blinked before she smiled at him.

"He wasn't lying. It was in an obvious place," Alice said.

"Under our noses...Hatter's family **was** clever," Jack declared in admiration. She nodded, turning the Sceptre over in her hands and feeling the strange twist in the gold handle. She gasped as the Sceptre glowed once more and changed back into an iron bar.

"Jack..."

"We'll hide it. For safety's sake." Jack turned around. "Charlie?"

The White Knight stumbled in out of the junk closet, choking on dust and cobwebs. "There you are! I was ready to search for you once more!" he stated.

"Charlie, would you do us a favour? Alice found this and believed it may be good as weapon," Jack wheedled, the lie rather weak but Charlie swallowed it. Considering the amount of junk he himself collected, another piece was nothing.

"But of course! Strong iron is hard to come by," he said with a nod. He rummaged on his armour, flicking out one of his empty leather scabbards. The bar was only a foot or so long, so that the scabbard would let it fall right to the base. Alice shook her head fondly as he reattached the scabbard to his belt, taking the bar and slipping it into the hollow scabbard. "That was rather cold. Hopefully it warms soon."

"Be good in case we come into a situation where we need an extra weapon," Jack said casually. "We should find the others."


	23. The White Queen

The Knave was careful to keep Chesh close by. The rooms on the first level were open studies, libraries, and odd barren rooms floored with slick checkerboard tiles. Nothing hung from the walls, the only sign that they had ever been lived in the white sheets draped over the occasional chair or table. The ceilings were high and the Knave let his eyes wander freely. The rooms were icy cold, the chandeliers that hung low both electrical and natural. The ones that worked lent lacklustre light and gave them no real ability to see any clearer. Chesh seemed to find it easy though, not even looking around before continuing to the next room. The Knave had let his eyes change once more to normal, trying to understand why his vision felt so distorted in this strange place.

He was more accustomed to the consistent brightness of the Wonderland City, the constant electrical lights and natural colours that had long become the natural sight in Wonderland. This old style of forests and strange houses was out of his element now. He hadn't been back in this world very long, so that he forgot things as they were once were. A world before flying flamingos and emotions, before draining Oysters of their emotions became the major commerce, before the royal houses had crumbled like straw houses. This world should have been familiar yet it was far different.

His limited memory could not find a reason why this Manor should not seem as menacing as it appeared.

The Cheshire was sauntering, his swagger that of someone who had no intention of exerting themselves. The Knave kept looking around, trying to see where they had gone. They had been walking for an hour, going further and further with some speed. There was no sign of anything resembling a sceptre, and oddly there was not even a sign of a battle anywhere. It was as if the White Royal Family and their servants had simply disappeared into thin air, leaving a ghost manor behind of what had once been.

"Is this place the same as you remember it?" the Knave asked and Chesh shrugged from where he was leaning against a wall, watching the Knave as he took a quick lap of a large and nearly empty parlour room. The only things remaining were a bookcase and a worn old chaise in the middle of the black and white tiled floor, its long cushion frayed with age. The Knave went to the bookstand and began to inspect it, knocking on it to see if there were any secret compartments. Chesh sighed and sprawled himself on the chaise, staring up at the high ceiling. More particularly, sensing the room above him. His cat-green eyes sparkled as he looked over the ceiling from end to end, grinning to himself.

"Same as I remember it. We're beneath the Royal Apartments, you know. They, like the whole place, might be the same as I remember. Before my punishment that is," he answered and the Knave looked at him.

"You had told us that Alice just found you," he said. His memory may be short but it was not that short.

"Did I?" Chesh asked, shrugging after a moment. "I must have forgotten to bring it up again. Old age you know. Anyway, as I was saying, I was punished by the Lady for losing a very important pathway and was locked in a tree. I haven't been here in some years but it still has that power it always has."

"Which Lady?" the Knave asked as he slipped his hand into his coat, feeling the reassuring weight of his short barrel gun. Chesh seemed disinterested in the growing threat as he stared at the ceiling, twiddling his fingers in the air in strange circles and lines. His one leg was hanging off the chaise and swinging slowly. Like a cat twitching its tail, the Knave thought.

"A very wonderful lady. One of the few to take pity on me when I was stuck in a terrible position of being a simple...servant to a grouchy Duchess and her grotesque cook. Then it was a place in the Royal House at recommendation," Chesh answered, still not moving. The Knave stiffened, drawing the conclusion rapidly.

"You led us here," he whispered.

"As Alice requested. I do hold true with my promises, you know. It is the follow-through that no one is ever concerned with," Chesh admitted. "Promises. All of you are so caught up in your promises and hopes that you ignore what is in front of you."

"We had hoped that you maybe as honest as you came across."

"I am honest. In opinions, in the paths I take. It is just the questions that you forget to ask that I don't answer," Chesh answered, his leg still swinging.

"Lies of omission are still lies, Cheshire," the Knave growled. How he wished for a gag right now.

Chesh snorted. "Please. You speak as if I committed a sin by not explaining the rules of my unchaining. I owe loyalty to no one but who first unchained me."

"Then you should protect Alice."

"I should, you are correct. I'm thinking we'll have to have a world of explaining, she and I. So she isn't quite too angry with me. She is inclined to forgiveness. Odd for an oyster," he said. He flicked his eyes over to the Knave. "Odd how none of the Wonderlanders really trusted me. Even that old coot was rather distrustful. Then there was that Hatter. I would certainly like to pay him back for that blow but he'll likely kill himself before that opportunity arises."

The Knave stayed quiet, listening to Chesh's damning words. That he spoke so bluntly, so callously, showed that the Cheshire clearly did not fear him. Chesh locked eyes with the Knave. "You promised to protect your King at all costs. Are you willing to die for that?"

He leaned up on his elbow, still reclining, still casual with that wide grin that so easily intimidated the others. The Knave tightened his fingers around the butt of his gun. There was a menacing tension starting to mount between them and he knew better than to drop his guard. "I am," he answered.

"Then I'm sure you'll have that promise tested," Chesh said. His grin seemed to widen. "I promised to lead you all here. Helping you find such a ridiculous thing, getting you home? I didn't promise that. I have other promises to uphold."

The Knave drew his gun and aimed it at Chesh's heart. "You promised someone?"

"To always find a way when they need it. I did. Simple as that," Chesh said as he finally sat up. He was clearly unperturbed by the gun.

"Did you lead us into a trap?" the Knave demanded and Chesh chuckled.

"You're supposed to be the King's advisor; once his mother's uncaring assassin, now the nursemaid for a King who needs to learn to be a King," he goaded. "I thought your job was to depend on your instincts."

"A trap then," the Knave whispered, struggling to ignore the biting words of truth that Chesh was mixing with the attempts to cause the Knave to lose control.

"It was the Hatter I thought that would expose the possibility of it. It was a stroke of good luck that this Archibades elected to try to find the knowledge himself with his own power. Of course, that caused problems...now the chances of finding, let alone using the Sceptre for its actual purpose is rather nil," Chesh commented dryly. "Maybe your King will get his chance to be the same cold creature his mother was and steal the girl away from her lover."

"What?" the Knave ground out.

"You noticed it, I know you did. Your King's jealousy over the pair, his sadness over it that has hardened his heart so that he **is** like his mother. I noticed it. The Hatter noticed it but then again, the Hatter's protectiveness for his lover was what let the Red King gain the upper hand. Now he's wandering alone and mad, about to kill himself to end the voices in his head. It was why the Red King served my purpose in lingering in that twisted mind. It warped Hatter enough that he won't return."

Appalled at the cruelty, the Knave stared at Chesh with his eyes going hard. "How can you tell me all this?"

"Because. The game- and trust me, this is a game to me- is far more fun when the pieces scramble with the knowledge they are given," Chesh said, the expression in his voice clear that he thought that the Knave was a moron for not already figuring this out.

The Knave, renowned for his self-control, lost what tight rein he had had on his temper and fired. The loud blast ricocheted throughout the room but the Cheshire sprang from the chaise, letting the bullet rip into the wooden frame. Chesh moved shockingly fast as the Knave went to aim again, coming close and slamming his fist into the side of the Knave's head. The Knave swung back, connecting with Chesh's thin shoulder and sending him backward. Chesh ducked a second blow, his palm connecting hard with the Knave's belly and then his fist upper cutting the Knave. The Knave was made of sterner stuff though and recovered quickly, slamming the butt of his pistol back into Chesh's leg so that the Cheshire grunted in pain as pain raced up his thigh. The Knave straightened before he cocked the gun again and lifted it, Chesh whirling with his glowing fingers outstretched. He stuck them into the barrel of the gun and the Knave yelped as flaming heat swirled from the gun to his hand then arm. He dropped the gun, clutching at his agonized arm for a moment. Chesh grinned at him, making no move to follow through with the magic the Knave saw lingering in his palms and eyes.

"The thing is, dear Knave, I'm not quite in the mood for fighting. I have someone to see, another trap to lie and more stories to hear. I'm sure you'll get your chance to die for your king, have no fear of that. Best of luck if you do," Chesh declared. Ignoring the pain, the Knave swung the back of his fist at Chesh. His hand passed right through the Cheshire and he recoiled instantly, taking five steps back. Chesh merely winked at him fondly and continued to fade, the last thing to leave being that odd grin of his. When the room was empty, the Knave picked up his now cold gun and rotated slowly on his feet, trying to see where the Cheshire had gone.

When it became clear that the room was empty, the Knave turned back the way he had come and broke into a sprint back through the open doors.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Jack asked aloud, pausing mid-step. Alice and Charlie both froze but shrugged. They had only come so far, close to the bedroom where Alice had thought it the one beautiful room. "Sounded like a gun."

"It could be the wind," Charlie said but Jack shook his head.

"I know the sound of the suit-issued guns. That was one of ours," Jack said. Alice bit into her lower lip. "Likely the Knave's gun.

"There's no one here. Why would he be firing it?" she asked.

"It's not the why I'm worried about. It is whom he is firing at that worries me," Jack muttered, stalking off. Charlie clanged after him with his bowlegged stride. Alice paused, confused as she heard another sound.

_Alice..._

It almost sounded like her mother's voice and she poked her head into the door. The white bedroom was abandoned she thought and while she knew she should go after Jack, her curiosity was strong. Knowing she could easily run and catch them, she moved quickly in the room for just a look. Just one look, she decided and found herself staring at her reflection again in the vanity's mirror. She froze for a moment, unable to help but look, barely hearing the door click shut.

"Hello, Alice," a soft female voice whispered and as Alice watched a shadowy reflection appeared by her own. The woman behind her was beautiful in a timeless, classic way: high cheekbones, a sharp nose and large eyes beneath a high forehead. She looked like a lady from old portraits you would see in a valuable painting.

"I'm...hallucinating," Alice declared with a grin at herself and turned around. The woman was standing behind her, a tall stately woman that was as real as Alice. Her long white dress sparkled in the light as she stepped toward Alice, reaching out and touching Alice's hair with icy fingers. Alice stepped back, bumping into the table.

"That would be easier, wouldn't it?" the woman asked with a gentle smile while she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Her dress was exposed at the shoulders and arms, slit tight around the waist and legs. She reminded Alice of the Duchess with her refined air and slimly curved form.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, thrusting her left side forward defensively.

"I'm the woman whose bedroom you are standing in without introducing yourself. Quite rude, isn't that right?" the woman asked as she arched a pale brow.

"This place is empty," Alice said.

"Clearly, it's not." The woman put a bejewelled hand to her elaborately coifed hair and patted the silvery locks. "You've come a very long way, Alice."

Alice watched the woman turn away from her to walk back to the middle of the room. "How did you know my name?" she demanded, eyeing the closed door. This must be a dream, she thought, and Jack would be ready to tear into her for falling behind.

"It's not a dream, he won't realise it, and I know your name because..." the woman turned around, "the only Oyster I can think of the King of Hearts bringing to his aid would be an Alice. It is legend you know."

Alice self-consciously touched the mark on her neck.

"You even forgot that was there, didn't you?" the woman asked. "That usually means that someone made you forget that you aren't from Wonderland."

"You still haven't told me who you are," Alice pointed out. The woman smiled, holding her hand out as if she was wanting Alice to take it.

"Of course." Alice took the manicured hand and found the grip strong yet gentle. "I'm the last Queen of the Taiga. The White Queen, child."

* * *

Jack slid to the top of the stairs and nearly collided with the Knave. They skittered around, the Knave and Jack both pulling their guns and holding them out to shoot. Seeing who it was, the Knave gave a relieved sigh and lowered the gun. He bent at the waist and gasped for breath, his pale face incredibly flushed red. Jack stared at him, startled to see the normally cool and reserved advisor so worked up. Considering that they could have easily shot one another, Jack was glad that the Knave sagged against the wall. The top of the stairs echoed as he dropped his gun and sucked in a deep breath. He could hear Charlie clanging along and kept his eyes on the Knave.

"What happened?" he demanded and the Knave shook his head, still gasping for air. Charlie came beside Jack and stared at the Knave.

"Where is the ancient creature? Trapped within the labyrinth that is the Manor?" Charlie asked. The Knave gave a hard laugh.

"Oh no..." He cleared his throat and wiped a hand over his face, his face still damp with sweat. He shook out his hand. "You were right to suspect him. He's led us into a trap."

"A trap?" Charlie asked as he fidgeted with his armour in reflex. "What sort of trap? I am most experienced with traps you know."

"A trap? To a dead manor? He could have given us to the Red King at any point, could have let the Red King kill Hatter or any of us!" Jack argued, not wanting to believe someone he had begun to trust could be a traitor. Was he actually that bad of a judge of character? It made him wonder just how many of the signs he had missed, how many of the ones he had misread in Hatter.

_Chesh's nonchalant attitude, his constant double talk, his goading of Hatter, the way he had constantly shadowed Alice and used her glow..._

Suddenly, Jack was very glad that Alice had come with him and not with the Knave. Who knew what the Cheshire might have done with someone who trusted him implicitly like she seemed to? Jack was trying to think of why the Cheshire would betray them though. What had they done to deserve it?

"What kind of trap?" Jack asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. The Knave shook his head.

"I don't know what he's let us into. I don't like it though, Sire." The Knave had recovered his breath finally. "He was so confident, admitting to lies of omission. He had no worry of me coming back here to find you or telling of his lies. There was no sign of remorse."

"A typical Cheshire," Charlie sniffed "

"We need to leave and regroup before we search for the Sceptre," the Knave insisted.

"We don't need to," Jack said. "Alice found it. It's safe."

It was a testament to the Knave's purpose that he simply accepted his King's words and didn't question the how and where and what about the Sceptre. He simply cared that it was done and his charge was alive and safe. Charlie gave Jack a confused look but at Jack's shake of the head he held his tongue

"Then let's get out of here," the Knave pointed out and Jack nodded, turning around. He frowned, darting his eyes around and glancing at the stairs.

"Alice?" he demanded. "Alice!"

As if in answer, the wind outside the manor began to howl and they heard a shatter of glass as the few windows remaining blew completely in. They turned to see the stain glass skylight above them suddenly coated with white snow and Charlie looked back the way they had come. A wind was blowing snow in through the hall with fierce speed and he barely croaked a warning before the wind struck them all, throwing them back through the other side of the long corridor.


	24. A Backward Rook

_"I'd...I'd like to make a bargain."_

_"You? You are just a boy. Eight years old and barely tall enough to qualify as anything of importance," the Queen of Hearts stated imperiously from where she sat in the throne room. The boy who had introduced himself as Hatter was at the tender age of eight and was a strange looking child, his hair cut at all angles and fidgeting constantly. He was the sort of urchin that held none of the manners and fine upbringing that his father could likely afford for him._

_"I'm a Hatta," he insisted, his accent impossibly thick and the Queen scrunched up her nose in annoyance. She glanced over at the still silent King, who was looking at the boy with sympathy. "I am!"_

_"Do you see why I insist on boarding schools for children? Why good breeding is so necessary? Our son will never sound like this or look like this, thank Wonderland," she said, making it sound as if Hatter was some sort of illness. The boy flushed, his ears going red as he looked at his scuffed boots. He was unable to keep his feet still, his shoulders hunched over. "About two steps away from being a gutter snipe, Winston! Honestly, what education! Boy! Stand up straight! Speak when spoken to!"_

_The Queen's sharp voice made him jump but he still kept his eyes on his boots. Hatter thought that he was educated at least enough to be speaking normally. He spoke normally for people of his social standing; his North Wonderland accent perhaps made a bit thicker due to his own father's incredible thick accent. His father rarely spoke much but when he did sometimes it was nearly impossible to understand him unless he were playing at nobility. Hatter loved his father and copied that strange accent to make him proud, something that made his rather melancholy parent smile and made his mad grandfather absolutely delighted. Hatter lived to make his father proud and happy, but his own love for mischief and ability to grift even at his young age was what made his grandfather was proud of._

_The Queen did not see it that way. She was used to the refined speech of the Royal Cards and the Taiga Rulers and dealing with commoners was not her speciality. Commoners were to be seen, to serve her needs and not to be listened to. Reading her thoughts and her growing annoyance, her husband sighed and gave her a pointed look before looking at the child. She finally noticed how the boy had frozen up almost completely. Her concern had no real motherly feeling; if he were to freeze like this there was no telling what it was that he wanted to tell them. She'd have to have it tortured out of him and then that would be no good. The Hatter family would come after them and get others to rebel with them, and given the already devastating cost of the Wars, that was not an option. Who knew? The boy may actually have something to say of importance and not a complete waste of time. So she unstuck her face from its permanent icy mask, forcing a hard smile to her face. Then her voice went soft, deceptively so._

_"So, tell me...Hatter," she began, enunciating his name hard so that he heard the 'er', "why are you here and not your father, the one I sent the message to? My men left him alive, I know that."_

_"My Da. He won't come here, not to see ye. He ain't the sort ye know, not after Grandda went bonkers, to leave his place at your command," Hatter answered. "He threw out your messenga. Grandda told 'im to and he agreed. They didn't want to come but I found the paper he left."_

_Clearly irritated with his accent, the Queen snapped her fingers at her husband before pressing her fingers to her temples. The King sighed and crouched before the boy, assuming an unthreatening posture. It would have worked on his young son perhaps but not to a child raised as strangely as the one before him had been. Raised with visits to his grandfather's Tea Shop where reading a mark was a daily practise, and raised in the Taiga had given Hatter a bit more intelligence than most children his age. Hatter was old enough for his father to teach him more than a thing or two and he realized that the King may be the actual crafty one behind this. That the Queen simply thought she held power. His eyes darted to the irritated Queen before looking at the floor again._

_"We asked for aid, child. Strange request you know, especially during a time of War and considering who your father served. Even so, it is not the first time the houses have warred," the King said lowly. Hatter met his small eyes with his large brown ones, nervously twisting his fingers together behind his back. "It is the same thing every time. We simply wish to have it at an end."_

_"There's more people dyin' though," Hatter said. "I lost me friends and their families. After the old Red King died and left his sons warrin', even the Knights were destroyed years ago. This Red King nearly killed my family and we no longer live in the city either, where you and the others were fightin' and tryin' to get my Da to fight. I saw what yer all doin'."_

_"I'm sure you have, child. The Red King is quite vicious so we must retaliate in kind," the King wheedled. It did nothing to ease Hatter's distrust. "The Whites have joined him instead of us and the noble Roland. We must make certain that we do not have their old servants involving themselves. Roland will be the Red King and Archibades' reign of tyranny will end if we win. Those that stand with him will fall."_

_Hatter shifted uncomfortably at his close proximity and at the sudden tone of his voice. He could hear a threat even when it was spoken so deceptively._

_"I...I don't want me family to die. Not like the others did. I saw the bodies, saw what he did to them. Turned them into things if they joined 'im. The Whites are doin' the same thing now," the boy said. "We're a Messenger family now. We were at least...when Da was workin' for the Whites. Not a war family, ye know."_

_"Well, considering your grandfather worked for me," the Queen interrupted, her eyes flashing dangerously, "I would say that your family's purpose has become rather...blurred. You all made very good guardians to our world, killing intruders and doing as you were told. Then your grandfather went soft."_

_"We don't like ta kill! He didn't want ta kill a kid!"_

_The strength in the child's voice made the Royal Pair lean back in surprise, both noticing the change in the young boy. There was such conviction in his voice that it was clear that the child believed it and that no amount of arguing would sway him._

_"Indeed," the King whispered, intrigued, but the Queen gave him a nudge. He cleared his throat, waiting for the boy to continue. When Hatter made no move to do so, he clasped his hands before him and stood over the boy. "What are you saying?"_

_Hatter sighed, his young body still shaking. He had never met the Royal Cards before and his Grandda's strange stories were often as twisted as his old mind was. Hatter wasn't sure if his Grandda told the whole truth when he spoke about the time he had been tortured for singing an off-rhythm song or when he had spoken about giving a little Oyster a cup of tea at a tea party. But he had decided to believe it just enough. He had braved his own fears to sneak away from their safe home near the lake, to get into the city to the Palace of the Cards. Posing as a child busker, he had won this meeting with them by deceiving their Ten of Clubs and their bodyguard the Walrus. That had baffled the Queen and the King. She had, in her shock, allowed the boy to meet them so she could see how he had done it. He puzzled her and she seemed to be thinking of the same thing as he was in that moment._

_"The boy deceived my guards. Easily. He could be trap, Winston. Maybe I should have his head taken," the Queen stated, causing Hatter to jump. "Such a lovely little head."_

_"No no, my dear," the King said. He put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile when she pouted at him. "That would be unwise. The Hatta and the Hatter will not react well to that and we know that their madness has only just been re-contained."_

_He looked back at Hatter, who was giving them a strange look. Winston saw the thoughts darting across the childish face. The boy obviously knew something of the family history of madness. An interesting twist, and Winston was wondering if the Hatta had known that the boy's talent would need to be guarded. Was the boy himself a trap? Winston, for all of his hard heart, had a soft spot for children, the boy being just a bit younger than his son Jack, and he doubted the child would even know if he was a trap being laid down._

_"If I can find a way for ye to stop this war, will you spare my family?" Hatter whispered._

_"You? A child?" the King of Hearts asked incredulously but the Queen held up her hand, instantly intrigued._

_"I can find ye what ye need," Hatter said._

_"Oh? You...can find what we need? How? More importantly, how on earth do you know what we need?" the King questioned. The Queen gave a sudden vicious smile._

_"Don't forget, Winston," she said, standing and taking a slow circle around the small boy. "This child_ _**is** _ _part of the Hatter family. They always had a way of guessing what people want, as you may recall. Likely he was raised near the White Manor, maybe even was a part of the household before his father left the Queen's service. His father and mother were loyal to the Whites for some time."_

_"So?"_

_"Young Hatter here has the same talent for deception and sneaking, I wager, as his father and grandfather. He likely knew all about what we were looking for. He would be a viable ally," the Queen said, her hand going to Hatter's hair. She meant it to be a motherly gesture but he flinched at the cruel grip she naturally had. The Queen gave his head a pat, her voice becoming saccharine. "So, tell me. What can you help us with?"_

_"I want me family to be safe. I want to know we'll be safe after the war," Hatter said. His voice was surprisingly mature but he kept his eyes lowered. He missed the look the King shot at the Queen, who arched a brow and gave a savage smile behind him._

_"Of course, child. You have my word."_

_Shaking, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out wrapped object. "My Da told me about how the Whites hid this in trust in the Manor...how he hid it again so that they couldn't use it...so I found it."_

_The King and Queen both watched in fascination as he pulled the velvet cover from it and the Royal Sceptre of the Legendary Alice appeared. It glinted burnt gold in the dim firelight of the room, its blue sapphires dull and coated with dust._

_"The Royal Sceptre," the Queen whispered greedily as she stared at it. She and the King could feel the power vibrating from the Sceptre, felt the way it changed even this tiny room and made it brighter. The Sceptre was legendary, mythical even, as she had never seen it herself but knew of its power it would said to have. It could pull the magic and power of an object from it. The Stone of Wonderland, still in trust with the Red King, was said to be its mate but she would take what she could get. The Queen touched it, feeling the burn of it though young Hatter was unaffected by the heat._

_"This is...exceptional," the King said in admiration as he met the boy's eyes. So the boy_ _**did** _ _have some skill._

_"I want a Royal Pardon," the boy declared, suddenly pulling the Sceptre in close to his body. The King squinted his eyes and then retreated back to the small table behind him. The Queen stalked around the boy and took over from him, shooing him away from the paper. Humming to herself, she thought over what she wanted to write before smiling again. She wrote quickly, pressing her lips against the paper and leaving a blood red lip print that was in the shape of a heart. The imprint was then lined twice with two marks, folded in halves into a heart design, and she smiled before turning to the boy._

_"Your Pardon," she declared, handing it over to him. Hatter stared at her warily, unable to help but feel like this was too easy. But memory of his father, still grieving the recent death of family friends and neighbours, made him nod and take the pardon. He handed over the Sceptre reluctantly, knowing that this could end the war though he wasn't sure how._

_"Go on, go home to your family," the Queen said, turning away as she stroked the golden shaft of the Sceptre. She was humming again, positively delighted with this turn of events and eager to put it to use. Recognizing the look in her eyes, the King took the boy's arm and led him to the door. The Ten of Clubs was waiting, still perturbed that the child had deceived him earlier with a few good tricks. He glared at Hatter when the boy came close but stared in surprise when Hatter glared right back at him. The King paused and bent close to Hatter, giving him a smile that he meant to be friendly._

_"On your way, young Hatter. Perhaps, in future years when we rule this kingdom, we will have a good place for you," the King said before he stood and walked back to his preening wife, who was almost spinning with the Sceptre in her hands._

_Hatter watched and for some reason, felt a dark dread sweep up from his toes to clasp icy hands around his heart. The door closed and the Ten of Clubs pulled away but Hatter was silent for once, his mind whirling. He had done it to save his family, the only ones who mattered to his young mind. What had he really done though?_

 

* * *

 

The memories of his past played back and forth like one of those strange black and white films he had become fascinated with in Alice's world. Rapidly and without any sort of order, blurring at parts and blending together. Memories of his grandfather's anger with him, his father's skill at thievery, madness and torture that joined the devastation of a war that had ended in terrible bloodshed no matter who he bargained with. That even years after the war he had never been able to bargain enough, run far enough, to forget.

There was a sound of a door slamming and the sudden silence that followed was blissful. Deep sleep followed; a deep sleep that turned everything to stillness. The pain ebbed, the noise gone, and time stood still. No dreams, no brilliant lights that made the eyes ache or strange images that terrified or bewildered. No twists in a maze of his mind or odd whispers. Nothing but utter darkness and stillness that had never happened before in his mind. Foreign yet welcome.

Then there was the feel of warm breath over his lips, blowing gently and drawing him from that darkness. Hatter wrinkled his brow, licking his dry lips as he thought who would be drawing him from such blissful sleep. But he knew it could only be one person that could draw him out of such sleep. He grinned, sighing deep in his chest while he gave a small grin.

"Five more minutes, Alice luv. I'm still tired."

The breath wafted hard over his mouth and he felt a raspy tongue suddenly drag up his cheek. The sort of tongue that had no human feel to it. A velvety muzzle nudged his head, causing a spark of pain that brought a headache back to the forefront. Jerking awake, Hatter opened his bloodshot eyes and stared up at a long into Guinevere's soft brown eyes. She nudged at him again with a soft whicker, her reins slapping against his face from where they had fallen. Her muzzle brushed over his head again.

"Guin," Hatter said sharply when she nudged him harder. He pushed at her head but she kept it insistently by his, still nudging impatiently. Hatter grasped her bridle and she pulled her head back, pulling him up to a sitting position. His head seemed to suddenly pound with agony and Hatter groaned, putting his head into his hands and shaking at the pain of it. His entire body felt like he had been trampled by horses or squashed down by Duck's old bus. Sore in the shoulders and torso, he rubbed at his eyes. Something wet and sticky clung to his fingers and he pulled his fingers away. They were bloodied and coated with a mixture of blood and dirt. Hatter turned his head slowly and saw that the ground was covered in snow. His legs were half-buried with snow and as his body grew more aware, he felt the cold seep into his legs. Bloodstains were all around him.

"What? What happened?" he whispered as he rolled over to his knees. Scooping up a bit of snow, he quickly rubbed it into his face. It melted against his skin, cleaning some of the blood and dirt away from his eyes and mouth and Hatter spat out a trickle of blood. His chest ached, the way it might if he had been struck in a fight, but it was the cold. His body was almost numb with both cold and shock and he sank back down onto his back. Hatter could just barely open his eyes, the way his head still ached making even that difficult. Grimacing, he turned his head left and right, hearing the crack of his neck. The headache left just slightly, instead of being all over now focussed on his forehead.

His memory was hazy and if it weren't for the familiar ruins around him he might have not recognized the Kingdom of the Knights. Even though it was covered in snow and fog, he could still recognize the massive statues in the distance. Guinevere nearby was standing patiently, her ears pricked at him in curiosity. Hatter looked back at her, frowning as he tried to remember, tried to force his mind to actually work; it felt like his head as a blank slate.

"Alice? Charlie?" he called out, his mouth growing dry at the silence that answered him. "Alice...where are you?"

There was nothing but the sound of Guinevere's breathing nearby and the occasional titter of birds. Hatter reacted the adrenaline suddenly rushing through him and leapt to his feet. He regretted it immediately the moment he was upright and he sagged against Guinevere, grabbing hold of her breastplate as he went to his knees beside her. What had happened? Why was he bloody and why was Alice gone?

Hatter pulled on the side of the saddle, slowly getting to his feet and trying to ignore the way his stomach turned at the feeling. He leaned heavily into Guinevere, the mare shifting her feet in irritation but he pulled gently on her mane to keep her still. He rested his head on the saddle and shuddered. Why couldn't he remember?

_Where was Alice... the others? Didn't they have to go into the Taiga?_

In quick flashes, his memory swept back like a flood. He squeezed his eyes shut at the feel of it but still saw the flashes behind his eyelids. _The Taiga, Jack and the Knave standing as he threatened a cocky Cheshire, the little cook throwing pots and pans at him, a battle of Knights, the feel of Alice's soft yet strong body beneath his as he gave into every desire he had ever had and heard himself whisper that he loved her..._

_His Alice..._

Hatter cried out, slamming his left hand against the pommel of the saddle and Guinevere spooked in place, pulling him slightly to the side before she stopped and eyed him nervously. Hatter's fingers ached at the impact and his stomach roiled as he remembered what he had done. He didn't notice, his legs splaying slightly while they shook.

He could feel the Red King's flaming hot power invading his mind and trying to tear into the blocks he had put up years ago. Felt the trap spring to save himself with madness so that he did not succumb to the invasion. Still felt the agony of his mind unleashing itself in dangerously bizarre ways to fracture his reality enough that his friends became his enemies. So that in his mind the woman he loved had betrayed him with just a thought. His mind that in saving him from Archibades had damned him by hurting Alice. The struggle had hurt then to control himself as the few sane pieces of his mind tried to gain control. He could remember the sane part of his mind forcing him to get Alice as far away from himself as possible so that he did not lose his control and kill her. His family had once done terrible things when they had lost themselves into their madness, tortured others with cruel riddles and equally cruel words, killed them in ways that may have made the Heart Doctors envious.

Hatter whimpered, his shoulders now quivering with soundless sobs, as he remembered Alice's shocked and hurt face when the dark recesses of his mind ruled him. Ruled him and lashed out at her. He felt the delicate fracturing of her arm beneath his hand as if he still held it, the hard blow she had given to him that had nearly set him off on a new wave of madness. Until he had seen the bruise and the utter terror in her eyes and his mind had stopped for only a moment. Just a moment that had made him realize how badly he could hurt the woman he cared for.

He had failed to protect her. That thought began to swim in his head and he knew it for the truth. He had lost the ability to fight himself, had run when he should have fought harder to come back to her. He had let her go off into the White Manor without his protection though he knew the traps that lay within that place. The true trap that the Manor was with all of its serenity and beauty. Hatter knew that his own pain from his past would be nothing if he lost her to that Manor. He wasn't certain that he would ever be able to drag himself from the madness if Alice was lost.

Even now, he could feel the shadowy threat of his unleashed mind and he sank to his knees, clasping his head in his hands once more. Guinevere snorted above him as he began to cry for the first time in years, unable to help himself. Unable to stop as his mind whispered his deeds back to him. Hatter was prone to strong emotions, more than many Wonderlanders, and it had troubled his father. His grandfather had schooled him endlessly on hiding his emotions so that the last time that Hatter had truly cried was when he was eight years old. The sensation terrified him then, the sensation and the knowledge that he could feel so deeply. But now, he cried. Cried for the years he had spent alone and cold as a child before becoming the grey matter between good and evil, a dealer in it who cared nothing for the result of it. Cried for his childhood mistake and for what he had done that had destroyed so many lives. Cried for the agony of his own existence when his family had been hunted down and executed mercilessly by all of the Royal Families with his life spared by a technicality. He remembered his father and grandfather, how they had handled the consequences of his actions differently. Like a small child, he cried as he thought of Alice and the others in that dark place, not realizing how close they could be to death. He cried, thinking of how he had told himself that he loved Alice and would protect her.

_What use was his protection? What use when he couldn't control himself?_

But as he lifted his hand and felt the gash that was close to his hairline, a deep one that still stung and oozed blood, Hatter opened his eyes. He stared at his fingers and looked over at the ruin. There was a massive stain on the stone and he remembered his last moments before the blissful darkness. The way he had fought himself and went the only way he knew to pull himself away from the madness. He had struck himself down. Nearly killed himself rather than to turn back and hurt his friends, something a mad mind may have insisted on.

The thought that maybe the dark madness that plagued his family may have been subdued was comforting. The thought that he had forced himself to control the madness by any means necessary, to protect Alice...strengthened him.

Hatter sniffed hard, wiping his hand over his eyes as he lost his feelings of self-pity. Firming his jaw, he stood once more and stepped away from Guinevere on his own. The forest seemed to swim around him for only a moment. He tilted his head back and took a deep, deep breath. The scent of the pine trees nearby steadied him and he opened his eyes, the pain ebbed enough that he could see clearly. The sight of a crumbled statue nearby made him blink and he looked down at his right hand, finally realizing that it was cut along the knuckles. He hadn't seen his right hand so mangled in a long time and it was a reminder that the limb was only so strong.

He hadn't noticed how tight his frozen pants were until he walked to where his fedora lay on the ground, coated in snow. Hatter gave a grim smile and grabbed it, shaking it before gingerly setting it back on his head. Guinevere whickered at him again as he came back to her and grabbed her reins. She obediently stood still as he struggled to lift his leg to the stirrup and failed. The cold had numbed his legs and he sighed in exasperation, slapping at his legs and barely feeling it. He couldn't bend his knees far and short of setting fire to his own legs, he wasn't likely to get the cold out of his legs for a while yet. Guinevere turned her head at the sound and snorted. She plodded away from him and he watched in amazement as the mare aligned herself before a low hill. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder, waiting patiently. She had likely had to do this for Charlie, Hatter thought, considering how many times he fell off a horse. Hatter limped to the hill, grimacing every now and then as pain stabbed up his feet. He was starting to get feeling back in his toes and he painfully staggered up the hill. It was easy to slide aboard Guinevere from that height and he settled his weight gratefully into the saddle.

"Thanks, darlin'," he whispered, stroking her neck. The mare bobbed her head, waiting for his cue, but Hatter stilled, remembering yet another problem. He could find the entrance to the Checkerboard Taiga from the Kingdom of the Knights but he had no way of remembering how to get through the Checkerboard properly. Black Forest Squares and Ivory Woods Squares would all look the same to him without a guide. Getting out was easy, it was getting through that had always been the trickiest part of the Taiga as Chesh had explained. Simply following the direction of the sun would do him no good.

Not for the first time, he felt a good measure of irritation with himself.

He could spend a lifetime wandering the Taiga without coming close. He could very well die from exhaustion and his wounds. Alice could be dead before he got there. The thought of simply staying in the Taiga, helpless and retreating into self-pity was too much and he clenched his jaw tight. There was little chance of that.

"I've gotten lucky before," Hatter said as he thought it over. "I mean, half the time I simply guess to get around Alice's home city and I end up right where I wanted to be. Couldn't hurt."

Guinevere shook her head and he shrugged.

"Worth a shot, Guin. Come on. Let's find them."

He pressed his legs into her side but the normally obedient mare didn't move, her entire body tight. Hatter glanced down at her, repeating the cue again and noticing how her ears were straining in all directions. Hatter looked out at the ruins, seeing nothing, but the mare remained stiff with fear.

"It's all right, Guinevere. Just about a mile to get to the Taiga from Charlie's place. Come on," he insisted, this time giving her a harder nudge. The mare suddenly shied to the side and his body screamed at the movement, Hatter frantically clinging to her neck as he fought for balance. Reining her around furiously and ready to snap at her to obey, he finally noticed the odd musty smell in the air while the mare spun and then settled beside the low hill again. Guinevere was dancing, obeying his tight hold but starting to snort as if the smell bothered her. The smell was growing stronger and stronger now and Hatter wiped his hand across his nose, thinking that maybe his face was still dirty.

Hatter heard the sound of something breathing heavily beside him and he turned his head. A massive Jabberwock head was lowered just inches from his own, teeth exposed while it made a strange hissing noise from deep in its throat. It accounted for the strange smell, for Guinevere's fear and sudden disobedience. It was scratching its massive talons along the snow covered grass like a cat kneading a blanket, the hiss turning to a snarl that made the ground shiver. Hatter swallowed, the Jabberwock's odd eyelids seeming to expand just slightly to expose its black irises. Its eyes flicked over him and Guinevere, the mare now frozen in complete fear. The Jabberwock roared, its hot breath blasting over Hatter's still cold body and by some miracle his hat actually stayed in its place. Lowering its head and wagging its neck in a snake-like motion, the Jabberwock seemed to coil up. It was ready to spring, its tail flicking up in the air and then landing with a heavy pound into the earth. Guinevere wheeled away from the sound, ready to run. Hatter eyed the trees nearby where they could take shelter for just a moment before the Jabberwock began to growl again.

"Why me?" Hatter muttered, clenching his fingers tight around his reins just before the Jabberwock sprang at him with a roar.


	25. A Guiding Hand

Alice had learned, years ago, to try to avoid assuming anything about anyone. Her mother had drilled it into her and her years spent earning her black belt had taught her not to underestimate people of any age or size. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if she was losing it. This woman was not as she expected.

The White Queen should have been a withered, powerless woman. Infirm and senile maybe, something to pity. A rambling old woman bleating about losing her shawl and pricking her finger if Alice remembered her stories properly. Yet she sat before Alice on the edge of the large canopied bed, the epitome of what nobility should look like, seeming to have been dressed by a legion of servants. Her clothing had the look of the haute couture of Wonderland mixed with the elegant lace and chiffon of a Victorian era gown. Her dress was incredibly thin even with the icy air that blew in from the broken windows but there was not a hair out of place or a smudge to her makeup. It was like looking at a doll.

It was only when Alice moved closer to the strange woman that she noticed that there were tiny things just a little off about her. The first thing she noticed was that her kid sandals were a few sizes too small, her toes peeking over the edges of them. There were tiny tears in her gown, the lace frayed at its edges, and there were deep crow's feet at the edges of her heavily lined eyes. They were just tiny things that distorted the illusion the White Queen was trying to bring across of perfection and icy beauty. It did nothing to ease Alice's discomfort though.

"So. You are the new Alice?" the Queen asked as she put her hands in her lap and her eyes raked over Alice. It was a smug look that held no real interest. The girl nodded, suddenly self-conscious of her ragged skirt, travel-stained coat and her well-worn boots. The Queen arched a brow at her, seeing her discomfort and tapping her fingers impatiently against her lap. "Well? Please tell me that you are at least schooled enough to remember decent etiquette."

"Alice Hamilton," Alice said with a forced smile. "Just Alice more often than not."

"Interesting. I would have expected the next Alice to be...different," the Queen said, standing and shaking out her skirts. "Taller, a shade thinner perhaps. Maybe another blonde."

"Not to be rude but I have to find my friends. We thought this place was empty," Alice explained, turning to go to the door.

"Oh, they'll be fine. You don't have to worry about them," the Queen said, her gentle voice almost hypnotic. Alice turned back around and the Queen smiled again, coming to her side and looping her arm through Alice's. "Come take a walk with me. It won't take long. Indulge an old, lonely woman. I'm sure you would like to know something of this place, wouldn't you?"

For some reason, Alice couldn't say no, couldn't think of why she should until she noticed the checkerboard painted on the door they were headed towards. She thought of the checkerboard graffiti she had seen painted in the City.

"But my friends," Alice protested and the Queen gave her a motherly smile.

"I'll have my servants get them some hot drinks. They will like that and then you can let me know why you came to my home. You have a long way back to the City, don't you?" she asked as they went through the door into a twisted hallway. Alice followed her, suddenly reassured by the powerful presence of the Queen. The woman was leading her about, her arm a comforting hold, moving down the corridor painted black and white with dark hardwood floors, travelling at a sedate pace. "The wind is quite terrible, don't you think?"

Alice looked at the taller woman, the slow pace actually calming her. "I thought this place was empty."

"Oh no. The Wars tore apart my reign and my lovely home, but it is still **my** home, you know. Somewhat lacking on the niceties I once enjoyed; bread and butter mostly," the Queen said, adjusting her white shawl over her shoulders. The shawl was ragged and unpinned, making her fidget with it constantly. The Queen turned suddenly, drawing Alice down another long hall painted in dark browns and greens. The only sound was their shoes on the marble tile, the Queen's gait marred by a slight limp caused by her tight sandals. "The product of living backwards is that sometimes you get stuck in the entire present, unable to make a future for yourself without any help."

She pulled her shawl tighter over her bare shoulders, the thick wool covering her skin yet blending into the paleness of it. Giving a frustrated sigh, she jerked it hard and tucked it into the shoulder of her dress.

"It's just that Hatter and Jack told me..." Alice began and the woman arched a pale brow, turning her head to meet Alice's blue eyes with startling, pale grey ones.

"Hatter and Jack?" she asked curiously.

"My...friends," Alice said as they passed a large bay window. "I came with my friends."

The Queen stopped and sat on the window ledge, patting the space beside herself. She adjusted her shawl once more as Alice sat beside her. The girl felt a sudden relief as she sat, her sore legs and feet thanking her for doing it. The bay window's cushions were old but they were quite comfortable and she rotated her ankles to rid them of the tension. Not for the first time, Alice wished that she had known she would need a good pair for running shoes. It would be better than running around Wonderland in heeled boots. The Queen was busy adjusting her skirts and Alice gave her a quick look now that she was much closer. The woman seemed to be in her forties, permanently frozen at that age, her hair silver and blonde. It was hard to tell which colour her hair actually was. Her skin was flawlessly ivory even beneath the makeup she wore but Alice noticed how the dim light made patches of her skin seem more grey than white. The patches travelled down her exposed arm and while they were indistinct, they trailed the length of it. Alice turned her eyes from them just as the Queen looked back around.

"Your friends, dear?" she prodded and Alice nodded.

"We came here to find something for Jack."

"Jack Heart?" the Queen asked dryly and Alice gave her a surprised look. "He is the only one, my dear, that I can see coming this far for 'something'."

"I guess," Alice answered, puzzled. For some reason, her mouth lost its control and she smiled. "I don't really know my way around."

"I don't blame you. Everyone starts off lost here. However, the crime comes last though the punishment is first," the Queen explained without explaining anything at all. "I've been here for years, all alone. So I welcome company, even lost company. "

"Then you don't know of the Red King Archibades?" Alice asked her and the woman stiffened.

"Set free was he?" At Alice's nod, she shrugged. "We got along well enough. I never cared for the Reds. Powerful...or so he thought. Then the Queen of Hearts took over. Now her...I never liked her."

"I can't blame you," Alice said with a smile. The Queen nodded and turned in her seat to look out the window.

"The Taiga...has it changed? It was a deliciously wild place, you know. A very amusing place for someone clever enough to beat the game." The Queen suddenly gained a vacant look in her eyes. "Though you had to play by yourself properly in the old days."

"Properly?" Alice asked. She looked out the window and saw the forest now coated in ice and frost.

"Properly. For example, the right moves."

"Chesh explained that," Alice interrupted. The Queen gave her a look and she blushed. "Our guide. He told us about how we represented chess pieces."

"Quite. It's only if you play by yourself that you become a Queen though. So it is my regret to inform you that you are no Queen," the woman said. Her condescending tone made Alice blink and look at her but the Queen still wore the matronly smile. "It is the rules, Alice. You have to follow the rules until you are crowned. Then all possibilities open to you. This Chesh...a Cheshire?"

Alice nodded. "I set him free. He brought us here."

"Did he now..." The Queen thought this over before she leaned back against the wall. "You trusted a Cheshire? Even I never did that."

"He helped us, all the way here. He's been a good friend to have," Alice answered. "The others didn't trust him."

"Oh?" The Queen plucked at her skirts. "Well, perhaps he has done right by you. It would be a first as he is very loyal to whoever unlocks him first you know. It is in his breeding, to be caught and unlocked time and time again. To help yet deceive, to reassure yet grieve, and to barter."

Alice found her head hurting as she tried to think over the words, suddenly feeling warm now with the Queen's close proximity. Despite her icy appearance, the woman was remarkably like a heater and Alice removed her coat slowly, gingerly pulling her sling through. The Queen stared at her, eyes taking in the sling before she reached out and plucking at the green paisley silk shirt Alice wore beneath. Her fingers ran over the collar before she arched a brow at the girl and sat back.

"A man's shirt, my dear? Somewhat strange and not in good breeding to be wearing such mannish attire you know," she scolded. Alice felt like it was her mother lecturing her and gave the older woman an affronted look.

"It's none of your business!" she snapped, trying to close her collar with her good hand. Hatter's faint cologne drifted from the shirt still and she shut her eyes against it. The Queen simply looked at the arm in the sling.

"I see."

Alice took a steadying breath. "I thought that the Queen of Hearts killed all of the Royals."

"Well, she certainly tried. I was widowed by that time, with only my daughter for company...and she was murdered. An innocent child who did nothing to anyone!" the Queen snapped bitterly. Alice put her hand into her lap, feeling the sharp stab of pity for the woman. The Queen sighed, her mood changing instantly. "But then, many of the Royals and any families associated were...taken care of. Especially when the Royal Sceptre was taken back from the Queen of Hearts. She was left without the full power of it and began to destroy all wisdom there was."

"That's what Hatter said." Alice found her mind running back to when Hatter and she had been in the Great Library, staring at great stacks of books and the refugees.

"A Hatter? Which one?" the Queen said, her tone changing slightly. The melancholy lifted to suspicion and there was a hardness there that Alice had not heard before.

"Well...in my world he called himself David Hatter," Alice said, confused, "but here I always just heard him referred to as Hatter."

"I knew two Hatters. Neither was sane in the end and both committed terrible crimes." The Queen sighed. "But they had their heroic moments you know."

"I know...and he does," Alice whispered, suddenly lost in her own memory of her Hatter. She could still feel his hard grip on her arm but more vivid was the memory of his hand brushing the back of her neck or holding hers to keep her steady on a high ledge. The White Queen watched as the girl remembered, seeing the soft look and the faint glow in her eyes. It was most interesting after waiting such a long time to see an Oyster. The girl struggled to hide her emotions but wore them plainly on her face.

"And you love him?" she wheedled and Alice jumped.

"What? That's just..." Alice was trying to find a good argument, not liking how easily this woman read her.

"Come now, dear," the White Queen said. She draped an arm across Alice's shoulders. "It's just us girls."

For some reason, Alice's memory slipped back to the book she had found on the chaise. "I love my love with an H...because he is heroic, because he is heartfelt in feeling, because he is hopeful, because he is handsome."

She felt tears in her eyes, still lost in the recital of the book's description of Alice's conversation with the White King.

"I hate my love with an H because he is hopeless. Because he can hurt me like no other man ever has."

There was a long pause, Alice feeling her heart burn. It was hard for her to speak of love, of longing, because for so long she had kept it at a distance. The Queen, still watching her, smiled.

"More loves than hates. A good sign, you know." She sighed. "A young woman once went through these woods and spoke of a love for a Messenger but then fell for the other Messenger. It broke both of their hearts when she abandoned them both much later. Even then, they still hoped and that hope is terrible."

"I love him," Alice whispered. It felt better to say the words aloud, to repeat them to make sure that she had not simply been sucked into Wonderland's habits of rhyming and confusing. The words made her head and her heart feel lighter, as if hiding the words had weighed her down and now that she had said them they set her free.

"A strange thing: love. It is painful, isn't it? Almost as painful as loss. Like losing that love." The woman touched Alice's arm, running it over the swollen limb. There was a faint glow from her fingers and the pain ebbed slowly, Alice finding her arm no longer stiff and sore. She straightened her arm out of the sling and the Queen smiled. "You have a such a strong Oyster glow, my dear."

"I've been told that," Alice admitted and the Queen ran her fingers up Alice's arm to cup her neck.

"Your mark...I've never seen the like...so intricate. Oysters are rare here, you know. The Taiga dislikes their glow and one learns to hide it quickly. Of course, the longer you stay in Wonderland, the more it fades," she explained. She put her hand in her lap again. "Yet you are without hope. How sad. It dulls your glow."

"It's a bit hard to be hopeful when you are being chased down by weird knights and an evil king just so you can find a Royal Sceptre," Alice answered unguardedly. The White Queen smiled.

"So that is why you are here. It was stolen years ago and even if it was in my house, I would be unable to find it. He was very, very clever and he knew it would anger me." She stood and stalked about the room, suddenly agitated. "A betrayal by an old friend and he was executed for it. You can imagine how I felt." The White Queen looked at Alice's arm. "I know you can."

"I..." Alice cradled her arm to her chest self-consciously. "I guess I can. But I trust him." The conversation turned to Hatter so easily that she barely knew what she said. "We're trying to stop a war."

"So I imagined. That's what I always heard, you know. Over and over again." The White Queen shivered hard. "I was even told that when my daughter was killed."

"Did you find who..."

"Oh yes. And he is long suffering for it now." She seemed to lose the change in her personality, all at once motherly as she back to Alice and sat beside her. "You don't want to be here, do you?"

Alice opened her mouth to protest but shut it, thinking about her sudden frustrations with Wonderland. "It's not as if I am from here."

The White Queen nodded. "That is one of the many problems with Wonderland. It brings in those who do not belong, makes them deal with problems far out of their grasp. I would almost think that Wonderland is like an interfering teacher sometimes. So eager."

Her grey eyes met Alice's. "Why did you come back?"

"I came back with Hatter," Alice began but the woman snorted.

"There is no such thing as coincidence. You felt a pull to come back here, didn't you?" she asked and Alice looked at her hands. She thought back to her odd delight in Hatter asking her to come back as a 'vacation', of her reluctance to leave when they had had their awkward good-bye at the Looking Glass station weeks ago.

"I don't think you could call it a pull," Alice answered.

"That is what Alice the First said...and and she was driven to work hard to come here, trying so hard to make Wonderland fit what she knew it should be. Wonderland adapts very well...it is just a matter of finding the way to do it." The Queen gestured about them, pointing to a portrait mirror across from them that Alice hadn't noticed before. "That is the problem when you are brought into things you have no depth for. You find yourself losing far more than you gain. It was unfair for Wonderland to bring you back."

"I came to help my friends," Alice said, watching as the Queen stood and began to fiddle with her shawl again.

"And they've destroyed your life. You know that." The Queen's voice was firm, like a mother giving her daughter a bitter pill to swallow. "Had you not come to Wonderland, you would not have lost the hope of finding your father. You would not have fallen for a man that can hurt you so badly and play with insanity. Nor would you have lost what hope you had for a quiet future."

Alice opened her mouth to argue, the words playing on her own doubts. In her first trip to Wonderland, she had longed to return home almost all the time. Now she was back in Wonderland and having to fight for a world that was not even her own. She had lost the man she loved to madness, had to cope with the strange despair now gnawing at her insides.

The White Queen sighed and stepped close, drawing the stiff girl into her arms and embracing her gently.

"Your friends are quite safe, my dear. Perhaps I should send you home. I do have the power to let this not worry you any further, if you wish." The White Queen took her arms from Alice and stepped back. Her voice was low again, a soft lull in the silence that comforted Alice.

"I shouldn't leave them." Alice's voice took on a childish tone as the Queen stroked her hair. She didn't register the strange feeling of heat against her gryphon marking. Her blue eyes were wide and unseeing, fingers twisting nervously together. She began to shake under the thin layer of the green shirt. Her mind raced to the others, starting to believe that they were safe. Jack had the Sceptre, the Ring...there was something about the ring...

"You have spent days caring for worries that should never be your own, Alice Hamilton. Let me give you a gift so that you can find some peace for a time. You can sleep for a few hours and get this exhaustion away," the Queen whispered as she led the girl over to the mirror. Alice felt a small pinch on her arm and it almost pulled her from her tired state before it came back even worse.. "Do you see how tired you look? Alice's eyes ached for a moment, suddenly seeing their twin reflections. The stark difference nearly woke her from her groggy state. She was so petite next to the tall woman behind her, her hair so lank and dull brown compared to the silvery blonde of the other woman, her eyes and skin washed out. She was nothing compared to a Queen, Alice thought. She certainly needed to rest.

The door behind them suddenly opened and Alice turned on her heel with a snap, staring at Chesh. His cat-green eyes were wide but his grin was the same as ever. He did not seem to see the White Queen at all.

"The others sent me to find you, Alice," he explained. "Jack knew I would be able to find you if you were to get lost."

"Right...it's time to go," Alice said, her voice still exhausted. Chesh came beside her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right. The Knave got a fire going in that study. Jack said we'll be taking a small rest before you all set off once more," he said and Alice gave him a look.

"You...you don't see her? Not at all?" Alice asked, gesturing to the White Queen beside her. Chesh scratched at the back of his neck, giving her a perplexed look from his strange eyes.

"See who, Alice? There's no one there."

Alice looked back at the White Queen, who gave her a kind smile and a dramatic roll of her eyes. "I suppose. I just wanted to have a look around, that was all."

"There is thousands of years of history in this place, I wouldn't blame you. It just hasn't been allowed to shine as best as it could recently. Just needs some...light," Chesh explained, looking around the room.

"I just can't explain it, Chesh. All of a sudden I just felt as if I was exhausted, you know?" Alice said and he patted her shoulder, not noticing the arm that should have been in a sling.

"I can guess. If you want, you can take your rest here. Be comfier than that awkward chaise eh?" he offered. "I'll be right outside. Take ten minutes then we can be on our way."

Alice's mind, already foggy, tried to convince her why she should insist he come to the parlour with her. "But it's..."

"Come on, Alice. I think by now you know that you can trust me," Chesh said with his wide grin nearly splitting his face. Alice gave him an uncertain smile.

"Just ten minutes, okay?"

" 'Course. No offence, but you are lookin' a bit rough," he said when she turned around to look at the mirror. Beside her, the still unseen Queen was looking at the clock on the wall that was permanently frozen on the wall. Chesh put his hand on Alice's shoulder in a friendly way, his fingers just grazing the mark on her neck. As if responding, the mark and her skin began to glow a bit, losing its tired wash. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Alice rocked on her feet at the feeling of the glow, not feeling his fingers when he slyly undid the clasp to her necklace. When she turned away from him the necklace felt easily into his hand. The White Queen looked around sharply at the sound and behind Alice's back he looked innocently at her, his hands now empty. The White Queen raked her eyes over him and jerked her chin to the door before Alice looked at her. When the door clicked shut behind Chesh, Alice looked up at the patiently smiling Queen.

"He...couldn't see you?" she asked and the Queen shrugged.

"I'm still a memory, my dear. I may be flesh and blood to you but to some I will remain just a shade," the Queen said easily. She looked over the smaller woman and tipped her head to the side. Her eyes went slowly over Alice's marking. "Hmm."

"I need..." Alice suddenly swayed hard enough that the Queen reached out to steady her. Her arm was surprisingly strong around Alice's shoulder and she turned them to the mirror.

"To rest."

"But..."

"In place where you can have no worries," the Queen whispered in her ear and Alice stared into the mirror as it slowly began to fog. The Queen pressed her hand to Alice's neck and there was a sudden shock of pain. It felt like a hot iron had passed over her skin and she winced, unable to cry out because the pain was gone as soon as she realized that it hurt. In the mirror, the Queen gave her a smile and Alice saw her now flawless pale neck beneath the gentle grip of the Queen's hand.

She drifted then, her mind hazy as their reflections faded from her vision into the fog. The fog faded into the bedroom she had found earlier, still pristine and white but now cozy with a fire roaring in the fireplace. Blinking, she suddenly felt the languid warmth in her body and sighed in exhausted happiness. What tension was in her body was fading and she looked behind herself to thank the White Queen. The White Queen was gone and Alice turned the other way.

Set beside the bed was a low table and chairs, an older man bent over what looked like a chess board, setting up the pieces with care. Staring at him, Alice stepped closer, still wishing to sleep but not if there was a strange man in her room. He looked up and she sucked in a breath as she recognized his happy smile and weathered face. Her thrill at seeing him plunged her headlong into the fantasy.

"Come on, jellybean. There's still time for a good game," Robert Hamilton declared happily as he gestured to the chair before him.


	26. The Stolen Glow

Chesh lingered in the halls for a lengthy period of time, remembering each nook and cranny as if he had been here just yesterday. Many of the lights within the Manor flickered on as he went through, as if they were shaking off the years of dust and misuse to light his way. The halls were silent still, the wind blowing and the chandeliers tinkling the only sounds, and Chesh listened to the click of his boots on the tile. The halls twisted and turned, leading around the expansive manor in low rises and falls, up stairs and then down stairs, up once more and then more turns. It was rather ghastly when he passed through the Hall of Funerals, where the portraits of the previous White Kings and Queens still loomed down with their disapproving stares. All wore their odd crown pieces set like traditional chess marks, all sitting on low chairs while draped in white furs. When Chesh passed the one painted of the last old Queen, a woman who looked somewhat like a sheep especially with her hair in such tight white curls, he sneered at it.

"Not like you ever presented a challenge," he sniped at the old portrait before carrying on his way. Not that he would have dared to do that when the old Queen was alive, or even when she was newly buried. Ghosts still had strange power and he did not like to test his beliefs about ghosts.

Chesh wasn't sure what he was looking for or if he actually was looking for anything in particular. He was just walking without direction, one hand jingling the necklace and ring in his pocket as he went deeper and deeper into the Manor. It was rather reassuring that Jack Heart was nothing if not predictable; things hadn't changed about the Heart Royalty at all it seemed. There was no real way that the Heart would have carried the ring on himself when he had an unassuming Oyster with him. Alice would be so very perfect for it, despite her naivety, with her innocent-seeming eyes and obvious self-defense skills. Chesh thought on Alice for a moment, mulling over her recent melancholy about the Hatter and the strange effect that love could have. She had been very strong for a short period of time, so strong that he had for a moment been frightened of her. Her emotions clearly ran deep as did the rest of her...well, whatever was underneath the surface. The girl did have some remarkable potential but thankfully was still overcome by some lingering self-doubt and uncertainty. The glow had dimmed, the power he had felt there had been subdued, after the Hatter had hurt her, and he wondered if that was something he should take to note to use later on his life on others. Chesh learned, and learned fast, the ways of keeping just one step ahead of others.

He had some fantastic luck lately. Perhaps it was going to linger and after how many years of bad luck, he decided that he was well due some good luck. As well as a new suit of clothes, he thought luxuriously, or a chance to sleep out of a tree. Chesh jingled the ring in his tweed pocket again and began to whistle to himself while he walked. It was oddly comforting, to hold the Stone of Wonderland once more after so many years. Considering its long standing history.

It had once been such a simple little rock, crafted out of the very thing that made Oysters glow. Many years before the Stone of Wonderland, Oysters would fall down rabbit holes or into mirrors. These entries into Wonderland were unpredictable ones and could never be properly tracked. Wonderland had been oddly accepting of these strange beings until the need for control became apparent in one devastating year. The child that had toppled the House of Cards had forced the Royals to learn of the ways to close the entries into their world. Old magics were used, magics with no history of their origins, and each Oyster full of emotion, whether love or hate, and who stumbled through the entries lost their souls. Lost their minds, their dreams, their passions, and their very essence. Rumour of how many Oysters had lost themselves was rather terrible and Chesh, when very bored, tried to count them in his head. He had met enough of them and it was rather depressing to linger on their surprised faces during the creation of the Stone. The Looking Glass then became the only conduit and he had been there when the Royals had rejoiced in their new power. Until it became apparent that the Looking Glass sometimes had a mind of its own to bring in its own choice of Oysters.

The old White Queen had certainly not anticipated what it could do.

 _The only thing I never learned was about those damned Sceptres, C_ hesh thought bitterly. _Might have if she had let me stay here! She knew that I disliked those old servants of hers._

Chesh rounded a corner into the rear balconies that overlooked what had once been the living chess set the Royals had enjoyed, the property now overgrown with black and white grasses. They had used the massive chessboard to toy with their servants and plan out their own moves. Never mind that sometimes the servants would get a bit too involved in the game and kill one another...sometimes they would just maim each other but it was often better to just kill one another. Those had been days when the Queens and Kings would, in exasperation, have housemaids nearby to mop up blood and body parts. Yet to the Royalty, it was all in good fun; the servants saw it as a torturous way to prove their loyalties. Chesh had never cared for it, never liked those open displays of strength. Give him a game of poker cards any day or a game of magical glamour masks. Deception was easier than trying to win a battle for sheer force. The Taiga Royalty had had to learn that the hard way.

The blowing wind from the left let him know that the doors were still unlocked to the balcony. He had passed into a back hallway and it was refreshing to see the natural light. Chesh sighed happily, longing for the open air and a chance to sit still for a little while. He had been on his feet quite a bit in these past few days. With every intention of sitting in the balcony to remember the good old days and try to figure out what real magic lay within the Stone of Wonderland, he was halfway through the large stain glass doors before he gasped and froze mid-step.

The White Queen stood with her back to him, her hands outspread on the marble railing. The open back of her dress revealed the extremely pale skin of her back, her hair having been undone just slightly from its intricate chignon so that the silvery strands brushed the backs of her knees. She was clicking her nails on the marble, lifting her chin and staring up at the rising moon intently. The moonlight drew all the colour from her skin, not even the faint blush painted on her cheeks helping to give her a look of life. Then again, she had never had much colouring in the long time that he had known her. Chesh would have thought her a statue or a ghost if it was not for the faint fog of breath she slowly expelled.

There was a needle resting beside her, half-empty of its blue contents, and he wondered if she had used the drug on Alice or on herself. More likely the Oyster. It was easier to contain an Oyster with the drugs.

As Chesh watched, a green gryphon seemed to fly along her exposed back, rippling back and forth from side to side like a caged creature. Chesh stared, fascinated, as it crawled up her spine to settle beneath her neck before rushing back to where her dress covered the base of her spine and then back up again. If an Oyster tattoo could seem angry, this one certainly did, and it twisted furiously as if it were a living creature. It settled finally between her shoulder blades, but occasionally the mark would ripple with colour. Chesh tore his eyes away from it and looked up from her back to see that she was as he remembered. Her one hand was marked with a green and black checkerboard and she twisted her wrist in the air so that her jewelled bracelets and rings made faint tinkling noises. She should have been cold, standing in the snow and icy winds while dressed in such thin finery, but the White Queen gave no sign of it.

"It does not like being with me, Cheshire," the White Queen said without turning. "I can feel it simmering beneath the surface. Caged. I have not felt such strength before. It is like fire and then in the next moment, it is like ice."

"It makes you glow, your Majesty. Like an Oyster," Chesh said, removing his glasses and lowering his head. He stepped through the open doors and shivered in the cold winds.

"Yes. I know." She turned her head slightly toward him, her grey eyes silver in the moonlight. "That does not change the way it burns."

"It is not your mark to bear." Chesh shrugged his shoulders. "It belongs to young Alice."

"True. But in a matter of hours, without this mark, she will be dead. It is no worry." The White Queen tipped her head further back and raised a hand into the air. The very moon seemed to shift just slightly but it was just an illusion of the fog and snow that were blowing about furiously in the distance. "A cruel irony, is it not Chesh? How things have turned full force about?"

"Like...a large loop. I agree."

"The Red King is in power, isn't he?" the White Queen asked over her shoulder. "Archibades' ambitions have never known true rest. His missive was strangely articulate and as much as I could aid him, he is rather ridiculously dramatic. I have no doubt what power I did lend him he's squandered on some stupidity."

"They came for the Sceptre, my Queen. Jack Heart was planning to destroy the Red King with it. That would destroy your magic as well," Chesh warned, ignoring her random thoughts on Archibades. The Red King still made Chesh's skin crawl.

"Jack Heart...fascinating. The boy was always a pompous brat, my precious Thyme never did like him though he would have likely wed her if we had won the war. Politics, you know," she said. She dropped her hand and then turned slightly to Chesh. Her eyes had the desperate sadness that he recognized and he sighed. "My precious Thyme..."

"She died trying to serve you," he said simply. Her face hardened so that it nearly resembled a mask.

"The Hatters should pay for her death, all of them. They nearly all did; the old Hatter and the younger Hatta. I was satisfied by their deaths, by my vengeance for their role in her death. But that blasted boy escaped, due to that damned Pardon." Her eyes narrowed. "You have met him. What is he like? Is he like his father?"

"Yes...but...no..." Chesh frowned in confusion by her demand. Why would she care if the boy was like his father? The Hatter reminded him, vaguely, of the elder Hatta, but there was something different about him. Something stronger and not as scattered, despite his outward shell.

"Is he here? I would wish to torture him myself," she demanded. "He destroyed my House with one simple act of treachery!"

"He is not here, Majesty. Archibades tried to steal his secrets and the trap that his family uses nearly killed Archibades. He ran to escape the madness and I cannot think of where he has gone," Chesh admitted. He stepped to her side and looked over the chessboard. "He was strong, Majesty. Haigha and Hatta must have changed him somehow but it is his emotions that are curiously stronger than his madness or his body. If he recovers, he will not rest until he finds the girl. They were lovers, he loved her...very deeply. If he doesn't find her or learns how she is stuck...there maybe no controlling the madness. I would not face him if he were to succumb to it."

"It would not be the first time a Hatter was willing to follow an Alice," the Queen snapped. "I want him dead. No excuses. If he returns, he is to die."

"I will give you none, my Queen. I will send the iron lions to look."

"What of the Stone? The girl had obviously found the Sceptre before I captured her. I could feel it when it moved." She was standing with such tension that if Chesh had touched her he may have felt stone.

"It is safe," Chesh said, keeping his hand away from his pocket but her eyes never wavered from his face. The grey silver of them pierced past his artfully bland face.

"So you found it...and are withholding it. Why?" she demanded.

"I learned, long before I came to your service, that it is sometimes best to have a bargaining tool," Chesh answered with his vicious wide grin. She arched a pale brow at him.

"You would dare disobey me," she said in a dangerously silky voice. Chesh shook his head.

"Never, mistress. I will give it to you in the City. If we were to be attacked in the Manor and that is still a very real possibility, they will not suspect me to be carrying it," he wheedled and she tensed her jaw. She sensed the wisdom in his words but also knew Chesh very well.

"When I ask for it at the time, you will give it to me, Cheshire," she said. "Or I will skin you alive."

Chesh, magical as he was, went pale at the threat. He may serve his mistress but he was never sure if she meant her threats or not. She was far stronger in magic than him, so he would not take the chance. He didn't dare to disobey her, even to save his own skin. That she was allowing him to carry the Stone of Wonderland showed that she was willing to accept his bargaining to keep himself alive.

"Do we go back to the City?" Chesh asked after some time and she gave him a regal look.

"Of course, Chesh. It has been a long time since I was there and when we join the Red King we can finally do what I have longed to do for so very long," the White Queen said, pausing. The gryphon rippled along her back furiously and she winced as if it pained her to have it move. When it stopped and her glowing skin flared stronger than before, she gave a sigh of relief before turning her steely eyes to Chesh. "I will destroy Wonderland, for all it has done to me when it should have obeyed me. Throw it into dust and memory to build a new world where I can once again control the fates."

For the length of time he had known her, Chesh had never feared his cold mistress more than he did in that moment when he met her eyes.

* * *

Another charge, slam of armour that screeched when scraped against, and a loud yelp later, Charlie unsuccessfully tried for the eighth time to escape. He lay on the ground, an odd heap of silver and white chain mail that was struggling to recover his wind. He wore enough armour that he was not really injured and was only lying on the ground and muttering to himself.

Watching from the middle of the prison on a large boulder, Jack sighed and looked over the walls again for any sign of weakness. It hadn't changed in the past five minutes and they had certainly tried to find the weakness in the long hours that had passed. Jack pulled his knees to his chest and groaned in annoyance. Nearby, the Knave was still using his skills to try to analyze the sides and discover a way to go up the ragged terrain.

They had all woken, sore and disorientated, in this strange hole. In his own opinion, Jack thought it seemed like a rabbit hole, the distance between themselves and the upper ground so great that the light here was dim. Unlike any rabbit hole he may have seen, this one was tunnelled exceptionally well and the walls were covered with creeping ivy and brambles. The creeping ivy actually moved slowly against the walls, giving it an odd illusion that the walls themselves were moving, and the brambles were so sharp that it prevented them from using them as grips. All in all, a rather depressing sight that six months ago he may have scoffed at in disbelief.

They had been stripped of their weapons, thankfully Charlie's scabbards left attached to him so that the Royal Sceptre was safe with them. Jack watched the Knave try to work out another way to climb, using his fingers in the air to try to calculate distance. The Knave's hands were bloodied and pricked with brambles, his clothing covered in dirt from whenever he skidded back down to the floor of the tunnel. His second was furious with himself, placing the blame of not anticipating Chesh's betrayal squarely on his own shoulders. He was trained to anticipate and deal with such threats; according to the Knave, he had failed his king. Never mind that Jack was feeling his own deep share of guilt. He had been blinded to Chesh and the dangers his tutors had once warned him of in favour of plunging headlong into the Checkerboard Taiga and finding the Royal Sceptre.

Now they were trapped, Alice left alone in the Manor, and all his plans were certain to fail. His kingdom would fail, his people would be changed and twisted into the Red King's subjects, and Amelia...she would endure a lifetime of sadistic cruelty. The Red King's words had struck Jack more deeply than he let on and he found himself almost pained when thinking about the woman who had once risked her head to save him from execution. Who had clearly loved him. Jack ran a hand through his short blonde hair and groaned.

"I shall rest for three flicks of a Jabberwock's tail, your Majesty, and then go at it once more," Charlie declared before he took a seat beside Jack on the boulder.

"There's no need, Charlie," Jack said. "I fear we will be here for some time yet."

Charlie gave the younger man a look. "Such remorse words."

"Truthful words, Knight," Jack answered before sighing. "I should have thought this all out far better than I did."

"It seemed rather brave, this plan of yours," Charlie said but Jack shook his head.

"That is what I do. Toy with bravery and political manoeuvres but I have no real skill for it." Jack's bitterness was almost tangible. "I was stupid and reckless."

"We all do reckless things, especially when what we love is at stake," Charlie said wisely. Jack looked over at him, the slice of wisdom somewhat unexpected. "All the tales of Knights of old revolve about love and the things we do for it. Well...love and glory."

"Because of what you call bravery, Charlie, people will die. She will be tortured," Jack muttered angrily but Charlie had heard him, not so lost in his reminiscing that he had not heard the young Heart. He was not so completely out of the loop. He knew that Jack's melancholy had nothing to do with his one time love for Alice but for someone he held lingering regrets over.

"I'm certainly that you will see her again, alive and well. I still hold hope that we can and will find a way to escape this terrible place."

"Alive yes," Jack said. "But well? How could she ever forgive me for what my failed reign has brought her."

Charlie shrugged. "It maybe, your Majesty, that you will have to work very hard for it." His bright eyes locked on Jack's face. "As you should."

Jack was ready to respond, to deny the wisdom in that, when the Knave strode back over to them. His hands were still bloody and he was panting for breath. "Something is going on above us."

"Alice?" Charlie asked, standing. "She could have found us."

The Knave shook his head. "There is more than one."

Jack stood on the boulder, peering up to the sky when he saw several men peering down at him. Stepping back cautiously, he nearly tripped off the boulder when four suddenly sprang down the rabbit hole and landed on either side of him. The Knave and Charlie both pressed close to Jack, staring at the four men. One snapped his head jerkily toward Jack, like a bird hearing a noise in the ground. Jack stayed tense and ready for anything as two of the new men came further into the light.

They were all uniform in height and weight, topping Jack's tall build by several inches, dressed in black leather armour from shoulders to toes that made them seem even more intimidating. Their black hair was greased in slick lines against their skulls, a black stripe of face paint running across their equally black eyes from temple to temple. They wore no expressions even as they stared at the King of Wonderland. They seemed to stare straight ahead sightlessly, the only sign of awareness the occasional twitch of their heads. The Knave stepped forward, one hand already clenching into a fist.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. The Crows are fiercely loyal you know," a soft female voice whispered from nearby. Jack and his friends all whipped about to try to see who had spoken but the Crows stood still, staring at them impassively. A woman, once beautiful but now marred by a stony expression and glinting powerful eyes, stepped from the shadows in a dark blue gown and cloak. There was an odd familiarity about her to them all, her strange grey eyes fierce as she stepped before Jack.

"You were certainly raised better. As I recall, Mary would have raised her son to bow to a greater Queen," the woman drawled slowly. Jack's eyes narrowed and she tipped her head on the side. One hand went out and touched his and he jumped back. She had let him feel who she was. Where Card Royals relied on their sharp wits and love of government to rule, the Colours had always relied on their magics to see them through, even when those magics failed.

"The White Queen," Jack breathed out. The Queen gave him a cold smile before looking at Charlie.

"A false Knight, how droll. And pretending to be a champion in his stolen armour." Charlie flinched at her words but she was already looking at the Knave. "You are still alive? You with all of your addictions and love for gambling?"

The Knave squared his shoulders. "Should you not be dead?"

"So you would wish," she said. "But that is almost impossible, so long as there is such strong belief. You Cards did not keep all of Wonderland to yourself after all."

"Why did you throw us here?" Jack demanded. She put a finger to her lips and turned slowly on her heel to walk to the side of the enclosing rabbit hole. When she turned back, her eyes had gone to steel.

"Because you have something I want. The Royal Sceptre," she declared. "And I do need that, so very badly."

"The Red King is already looking for it," Jack argued and she nodded.

"So he would. It was our agreement years past that the magic I lent him would one day release him and as is such, we would rule Wonderland together," she answered. "So where is it?"

"We don't have it," Charlie said and she looked at him, then slowly at the others.

"Oh, I think you do. The girl had clearly touched it, her glow was so strong," the Queen said and Charlie jerked.

"Alice?"

"If you have hurt her," Jack began and she waved a hand.

"Please, spare me your threats when you are so clearly out of your depth, boy." The White Queen held out a well-manicured hand. "You have touched it as well, I can feel it."

"Even if we did have it, there is no way that you could convince us to give it to you." Jack had straightened, every inch the royal king he tried to be, but he was clearly outclassed in this. She was older than he, years of long experience at the intricate nature of being a Queen on her side. Her smile was cruel as she held up a hand, a small mirror held in her palm. Alice was lying atop a table and clearly comatose with her large blue eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

"Then I give the word and this would-be Alice is killed," she stated. Charlie stiffened, his hand going to his scabbard.

"Harridan! You would dare!" He grabbed the scabbard and swung the leather at her. The Queen raised a hand and he froze in place, his mouth hung open in surprise as he was suspended above the ground. Her eyes roamed over him in some curiosity before going to Jack.

"Him? You cannot be serious," she said incredulously and Jack looked away as she yanked the scabbard out of Charlie's grasp. The iron bar slid harmlessly from it into her hands and she twisted it this way and that. The Sceptre turned over in her hands with astonishing lightness and in shock Jack watched as it transformed into its true form. The gold light gave the Queen an unearthly glow, her grey eyes half-closed with pleasure.

"This was too easy, truly." Her shoulders shivered beneath the cloak. "But then, you did come so willingly to the White Manor. Take heart, dear men, that you all had no choice in this matter. The trap was set when your mother stole my throne, Jack Heart."

He flinched and her cold smile returned.

"I do hope you imprisoned her far beneath the Lake. Perhaps I shall find her and we can reminisce."

Though there was no love lost between Jack and his mother, he knew that the White Queen had no intentions of a simple gossip. Cruel and evil as his mother was, he did not like the thought of the pair of them together. His eyes darted to the Sceptre and thought with relief of Alice and the Stone of Wonderland. She would protect it...

"You won't be able to use it," the Knave snapped, clearly reading Jack's mind. "You do not bear the Stone."

"Oh, I think I will have it. My servant told me that your King gave it to young Alice to bear but she failed at that as well. She is an Oyster after all. It will only be a matter of time before it rests in my hands; with her death it will be a matter of pulling it free. You trust your subjects too willingly, Jack Heart. You are too eager to use them as well," she scolded. Her eyes went to the Crows standing still as statues around her prisoners.

"What are you planning to do with us?" Jack demanded. She laughed as she touched a Crow nearby. The man turned his head into her hand and gave an odd chirp.

"The same exile your mother was to use on me, dear boy. The Crows will see to it. They do not need food nor sleep, they cannot be bribed. They are loyal to me and me alone. You will stay here, to rot and die. Withering away as you remember what once was and the mistakes you made that cost you so very dearly," she answered with an absurd amount of amusement. Jack growled deep in his throat and launched himself at her but she had already started to disappear. The Crows grabbed hold of him, one throwing him hard into the wall so that Jack tasted blood when he landed. The Knave and Charlie were thrown back as well, Charlie sputtering when he landed but wisely staying on his seat. Jack got to his feet and stared up the rabbit hole. He could hear them even from the distance, their voices carrying easily down the tunnel.

Far above, the Queen leaned over and watched them with some interest. "A shame," she whispered. "He is rather handsome."

A Crow nearby chirped at her but Chesh, who still stayed near her, sighed. "You will leave a small portion of the murder here, my Queen?"

"Yes, to be sure that there is no chance for escape or error. The remaining murder...my personal battalion will come with us. Archibades will not dare renege on our bargain if they are at my side. His Knights are no match for my Crows," she said smugly. "His magic is my own. He is too green to do much. When the time comes, I will decide if I wish to include him in the bargain still. He may have set the players in motion to recover the Sceptre but he lost me a chance to destroy Hatta's son as my vengeance for years past. Was he found yet?" she demanded but Chesh shook his head.

"The Kingdom of Knights was empty from the images the iron lions recorded. Bloodied snow but that was all. Tracks led to the Lake but after there everything is gone." Chesh shifted. "There were several brooding Jabberwocks fighting over bones. It is possible he is dead."

"Interesting," the Queen commented. _What would you have done, Hatta,_ she thought, _if you had known your son would be ripped apart by those monsters?_

"I wish I knew what magic had influenced him though," Chesh admitted as he looked at his fingernails. "Both in that hand of his and in that trap of his mind."

The White Queen snorted. "Old magics, Cheshire. Ones that died out years ago. Thankfully. They were treacherous."

Chesh nodded and looked her up and down, seeing her distraction at the mention of old magics. That she was now bearing the marks of old magic again had clearly unsettled her. "Do we leave now, my Queen?"

"Yes. I would almost be suspicious as to how easy that was if only it weren't for their hopelessness." She tipped her head on the side, still watching the men down below. Chesh joined her uneasily, not understanding her fascination. He had long since learned to dismiss her strangeness, her idiosyncrasies as he called them, as her own whims of royalty. So he chose to watch her and try to guess just what she was planning.

He was so intent on watching her that he did not see that one of the Crows he had set to patrol the grounds was pacing in agitation. The Crow did not like being so out in the open after years of hiding in the buildings and forests. There was a scratch of tree branches being shoved away and he turned to look into the hedge maze nearby. The Crow chirped and was answered by another chirp that let him know it was his own kind. His dark head tipped on the side, the Crow strode into the hedges to check what may be wrong with one of his brothers. He chirped once before he was grabbed and dragged into the hedge maze in a flurry of kicking legs and struggling arms.


	27. A Daughter's Trap

"It's your move, Alice," Robert Hamilton said as he reached over the table to clock his move. The girl sitting across from was only ten years old, dressed in a blue pinafore and white cotton dress, but her eyes were older. She was staring at the chess board intently, her forehead furrowed as she took in the pieces.

"I know, Dad. I'm just thinking." Alice wanted to make the right move. Her father had already won 3 games. She had never played much before and neither had he, but he was moving expertly. When she had protested that she was getting tired, he merely smiled and started another game.

"No rush, jelly bean," he answered as he emptied the teapot. "But we are all out of Earl Grey tea."

"It's ok, Dad," Alice answered as she moved her pawn for her first move and clocked it. She sat on her hands, nervously rocking back and forth as she watched him debate his move. Then he slid his knight forward and clocked the move. Alice gasped in dismay and bit into her lower lip, vexed. She felt happy here, though the happiness was rather numb. "Where's Mom?"

"Oh, she went out to grab us some supper, I've sure she'll be back soon." Robert reached over and stoked the fire in the ornately carved fireplace. "We've got some time for another few games."

"But Dad, I'm tired."

"You can go to bed soon. Get all the sleep you want, but I'd love a few more games. It will help you sleep" her father said as he watched her move a knight forward half-heartedly. Alice sighed. She was growing more pale and grey as the hours went by, her hair lank and her blue eyes nearly colourless and watery. With each game she lost, more energy left her.

"But, Dad..." she whined. He sighed.

"How about this. One last game and you can decide what you want to do. Sleep or play more."

There was a clatter nearby and she looked over to see an older man coming through the door, balancing a tea tray carefully. He moved fast, setting it down in the middle of the table and then turning around to grab a chair. He was dressed in a mustard yellow suit that clashed with her blue dress but he seemed unconcerned by the strange colour. Instead, he took off his top hat and set it under his chair before he sat down. He scooted himself forward between Alice and her father, Alice staring at him. The smell of the steeping lemon tea made her nose twitch though and she looked at the purple polka dotted teapot. The tea they had been drinking had been weak and milky, this tea smelled wonderful.

"Hello, Alice. Would you like more tea?" the man asked while he sat in the chair. Looking at him in wonder, she gave an uncertain smile to her father who was staring at the new man.

"Um...yes please?" Alice said. The man gave her a pleased smile and bent forward to pour her a cup of tea. Alice noticed that his suit was actually stripped with dark green and his hands were chapped from long hours of work. He seemed as old as her father, his dark iron-grey hair hanging to his shoulders and almost hiding his dark hazel eyes. He seemed friendly though when he handed her a cup and watched her smile at him.

"Excellent. There is just enough for a good couple of cups. It is my very best, you know."

"What are you doing here?" Robert demanded from across the table. The man gave him a grin as he poured a bit of milk into Alice's teacup.

"Well, since my spirit is stuck here as punishment, I was in the area, and when I heard that there was a chess party I simply had to join you all," he said in a smooth voice. "Especially since Miss. Hamilton is here and who she is."

"My mom will be back soon, Mr..."

"Grey, my dear. But I was meaning you actually, have no fear." He shook Alice's little hand and leaned back. "Still playing chess?"

"You don't play chess, as I recall," Robert said with a cool smile and Grey shrugged.

"I've been here long enough that I've learned a thing or two," he answered.

Her father was oddly silent and when she looked at him she saw that he seemed angry. The way he had looked when she had lied about breaking her mother's favourite glass figurine. He then went and moved a bishop further onto the board. Alice took a sip of the sharp tea, the lemon taste almost waking her up. Licking her lips, she took a longer sip and felt the hot liquid settle pleasantly in her stomach. He smiled when she thanked him again and ran a hand through his long hair in reflex. Across from her, Robert cleared his throat impatiently and Alice put her hands in her lap before she looked nervously at Grey.

"My dad's been winning, Mr. Grey," she declared. "He's great at chess you know."

"I have no doubt." Grey leaned across and poured her father a cup of tea. "Whose move is it now?"

"Mine," Alice said excitedly.

"Would you mind if I gave you a bit of coaching?" Grey asked and her father jerked slightly. "It's only right that since you've lost 3 that you should have a chance to win one at least."

"That is cheating," Robert Hamilton growled. Grey arched a dark brow at him and grinned.

"I'm good at that, remember? You only really wanted one more game from her." He looked back at Alice, seeing how drained she had been becoming as the games progressed. "Why don't you try to move your knight a bit more? Watch where you move it. That's the whole reason to this game, to learn to make and avoid traps."

Alice looked at the board, dismayed at the sight. It seemed to be stupid move; she was exposing her king and queen. Her father had told her to never ever do that. Still, she had no other good ideas about what move she could possibly make and slid the knight between the bishop and white pawn. Her father took her black pawn the moment she did and she gasped in dismay, looking at Grey furiously. He gave her a shake of his head and smiled. "Trust me, Alice."

The words struck something in Alice and she looked back at the board. Her eyes fell on her black queen. Reaching up she pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and pushed her black queen in a diagonal a short distance. Smiling, her father moved a pawn further onto the board closer to the queen. Unable to help but look, Alice looked over at Grey. He looked at her eyes, saw her question in her eyes and simply smiled.

"Come on, girl, you know the move you want to make. Don't play silly," he said meaningfully and Alice looked back at the board, taking in the pattern of it. Sighing, she moved her queen just two diagonals further and clocked it. Her father took another pawn with his advancing knight and clocked it fast.

Every time Alice moved her pieces, her face and body began to change, growing more and more mature as the correct moves were done. Her face lost its baby fat, her body matured to that of a woman, and the pinafore changed to a simple blue sundress. Alice noticed none of it, only the two men sitting near her seeing the changes, one with delight and the other with growing anxiety. She focussed more on the game than the leading conversation her father had had with her during their previous games. She barely spoke, her blue eyes narrowed at the board. Alice sighed and quickly moved her queen and took the pawn it faced, clocking it. She was unmistakably delighted at taking the piece. Her father's eyes darted around the board, suddenly puzzled and he moved his rook with hesitancy. Grey gave Alice a nudge and she moved her queen away, taking her father's pawn.

"Check," she said, excited suddenly as she realized the pattern that Grey had had her set up. Her father frowned, suddenly so serious that he was no longer trying to talk to her. He seemed to grow worried, moving the bishop in front of the king. Alice frowned, confused. Her fingers moved over her queen and then her knight. The queen was stronger; she could take out the bishop. Weren't the queens the best ones to use?

"You are playing very well, Alice," her father stated, his voice happy yet his eyes were going over her face. "Move that queen and it's a check again."

Grey cleared his throat even when Alice leaned forward, intent on moving the piece. "Alice, you know better."

She looked at him, confused. "But..."

"Alice," he said lowly. "Think. Don't be scared to take the risk but don't be silly either." Their eyes locked and she let the piece go.

"Alice," her father said from across her. She looked over at him and he gave her a gentle smile. "Come on, you know that you can trust me. Trust me, I'm starting to shake in my shoes over here. Your first win, jellybean. I'm pretty much the only one you can trust."

The words snaked around Alice and she frowned at him, her young face growing more and more mature. Turning her eyes from him, she glanced at the fire and blinked. A spark of memory, something that drifted into her foggy head, voices in her head, a familiar voice.

_"Look, I'll do the flying. All you have to do is hold on. Look at me. I wouldn't let you do this if I didn't think you'd be okay."_

Clenching her jaw tight, Alice moved her knight quickly into position and then stared her father in the eye. "Check-mate."

He stared incredulously at the board, trying to see a manoeuvre to escape, some slip that she had missed. The bishop could take the knight but the queen would then simply check mate him again. This girl, who was not supposed to be able to play chess, had done so on her last game. She had suffocated him.

As Alice watched, his familiar face faded, shimmering into a stoic completely ivory man with no colour to his skin or hair. There was no mouth on this new man, lips sewn into a single stitched line and the odd eyes white and lifeless. Alice stared, shocked, as small cracks appeared on the alabaster skin and the creature froze into a marble version of itself. On the chessboard, the white king toppled over as the white queen disappeared as well. Beside Alice, Grey grinned wildly and clapped his hands in delight while Alice nearly wept at the loss of her father.

* * *

They had been all sitting on the boulder in the middle of the tunnel for a day now as the Knave guessed it, judging by the rising and setting of the sun. It was dusk outside, the Crows that guarded them having been changed. The men jumped short distances easily, flying almost, and then dropped down just as easily. They spoke in odd chirps it seemed. The strange guards never blinked, never moved, never looked anywhere else but straight before them with no emotion. Like living statues but there was a feeling around them that they were ready to attack if they needed to. Jack found it unnerving so he never looked up, ignoring the hunger gnawing at his stomach. They had no food, no water, and the Crows clearly did not care. They hadn't been instructed to care for their prisoners, just to kill them if they tried to escape. Charlie had muttered something about his Dark Arts and was meditating in the corner, his eyes shut and he was wheezing in and out. Occasionally he would open his eyes and shout a word, startling the other two men. Then he would be right back down on his seat and meditating once more.

Well, meditating as it was to Charlie. The Knave barely hid his exasperation with it, stalking around but not daring to attack the Crows. They were very careful to keep an eye on them all and he had the sense to feel that unless they were distracted, he'd not stand a chance.

Jack hadn't spoken since the White Queen had left. Just sat still with his eyes on the opposite wall, not really seeing much of it.

What could he say to them? He had no real encouraging words to say, no promises of rewards and glory. They were stuck, hopelessly so, and he was in no way inclined to tax himself over it. Jack had found himself despairing more than he ever had in this journey. He wondered if this whole thing had been a trap, if he had even had a chance to avoid it. Led astray easily and he felt like a fool. The White Queen, a legendary figure who was supposed to be an old withered crone, had appeared as a woman as deadly as she was powerful. What had she done to Alice?

Why was she so eager to take the Sceptre back to Wonderland? Why was she aiding the Red King? The Reds and Whites had never been peaceful really, part of the consequence of being at opposite sides of the Checkerboard he thought. Was his history so flawed, was all of Wonderland blind to what may be the real history of Wonderland? What had Hatter known about this? Why had Chesh betrayed them?

The Knave had related some of Chesh's words to Jack but they were just words to Jack now. He knew that if he ever got hold of the Cheshire that he would pound the creature to an inch of his life, let him heal, and then do it all over again. And again. The Cheshire may be a pawn but he was not innocent; he had betrayed them, betrayed Alice.

Still meditating away, Charlie's eyes suddenly opened. "Oh, the stars won't be out tonight and the birds won't fly. The stars won't be out tonight and the birds won't fly."

The Knave rolled his eyes and looked at Jack. "Would you like me to nudge him, Sire? He's going to be broken record now."

"No use," Jack answered as he sighed and stood again, stretching his legs as he did so. He felt cramped already but none of them could do more than doze. There was something unsettling about the Queen's Crows. They never looked away, never really moved much either. Just stood, sometimes chirping at them, sometimes at one another, but they never spoke like real men. They may look like men but they did not act like them.

"I am not deaf, boys. Nor am I so senile to ever act it," Charlie declared as he stood, seeming ruffled. "I looked through the dark veils of betrayal and have found our escape in the currents of the heavens, on the wings of birds."

"Oh, well that simplifies matters then," the Knave quipped with a roll of his eyes. Charlie huffed.

"I will have you know, Knave of Hearts, that my oracles have yet to fail! With them I located Alice of Legend herself!"

"And I am sure you are very proud of that but seeing as how we are stuck in a narrow little hole, I would rather you not spout off," the Knave snapped and Charlie sputtered in fury. Jack sighed, watching as Charlie took his seat once more.

"Just like an old married couple," he growled as he turned about on his heel. He was lucky he did so; narrowly leaping out of the way as a Crow came plunging down headfirst. The Crow landed in a broken heap at his feet, not moving. Staring at it in bewilderment, Jack frowned and looked back up at the top of the hole

The Crows around them suddenly chirped, their heads twisting on the side as they looked up. Jack and the Knave glanced at one another, the Knave nudging Charlie with his foot. As they all watched, a long rope was suddenly dropped from above the tunnel and there was a sound of a scuffle somewhere above. The Crows squawked with their bodies braced to jump.

Jack moved first, leaping onto the back of one and slamming his fist into the Crow's head. It screeched, jumping in the air and slamming him back against a wall. Jack held on, punching again and again. The Knave leapt for one as well, locking his legs around its waist and pulling it down. Charlie gave a sputter and aimed for another, almost losing the Crow when it sprang into the air. He grappled onto its legs and his weight held it down.

Jack felt the Crow collapse unconscious beneath him and he jumped free of it in time, racing over to Charlie and slamming his elbow into the Crow's solar plexus. It made an odd chuffing noise, dropping to the ground and Charlie bopped his fist onto its greasy scalp. The Knave wrenched his Crow down and they all turned to see one remaining, its human face twisting side to side as it stared at them. An odd chirp came from its throat and it leapt in the air, escaping before any of them could grab at it. It seemed to escape, following the dropped rope to the top of the hole.

They heard a crack and then the Crow came dropping back down, landing hard on its back. It seemed unconscious and Jack looked up at the hole. "I don't think we have much choice," he muttered and twisted his arm around the rope. He shimmied his way up, the others following, Charlie with a bit more difficulty but seeming to force himself up it. Arms burning with the strain, Jack gasped for breath when he reached the top, pulling himself over the edge and collapsing into the snow. The others joined him slowly, Charlie wheezing for breath.

The snow was deeper now, crunching beneath them as they crouched on the ground. It lent a brilliant shine with the moonlight, but in the distance was the domineering White Manor. They weren't very far from the Manor, the entrance to another hedge maze on one side of them and a white rose garden on the other. The hedges and roses were frozen, icicles and snow draped over them. It was like the snowstorm that had been following them had given way to ice.

Across from them, a Crow squatted with his back to them, looking over the fallen bodies of his three comrades. Jack stood stealthily, eyes adjusting to the light as he tried to keep himself quiet as he moved toward the Crow, fists clenching tightly at his side. Behind him, the Knave put his hand over Charlie's mouth to cover his loud breathing, shushing him lowly. Jack was only a few feet away from the Crow when it turned its dark head and then wheeled on a well-heeled foot.

The hair was completely slicked back with black grease, almost as black as the leather clothing and armour, the face painted with a black strip across the eyes. He didn't quite match the other Crows though. This Crow was shorter than the others, the face not as blank and as Jack stepped closer and the gloom of the snow and fog lifted, he noticed that the eyes were not completely black but brown. Then the expression split into a cocksure grin, the brown eyes dancing in amusement at the sight of Jack. Hatter seemed utterly delighted at the stunned expression on Jack's face, noticing the other two join the King.

"Harbinger!" Charlie stated in shock, eyes swooping over the young man. He was more shocked at the state of Hatter's hair, completely tamed and slicked to his head than much else. Strange how having such tamed hair made Hatter look so very different. "You?"

"Hello to you as well, Charlie," Hatter said with a grin, eyes going to the Knave and Jack. "Couldn't tell you how long this took me to get through. Had to dodge that legion of Crows that took off a few hours ago. But you are welcome."

The Knave seemed startled but Jack's blue eyes were almost icy as he sucked in a breath.

"Thank you, Hatter," Jack said before promptly slamming his fist into the younger man's face. Hatter yelped as he nearly fell. "How could you put everyone in such danger? Hurt Alice?"

Hatter stood. "Oh believe me, it wasn't intentional," he growled before recovering with his own blow, remembering to use his left hand instead of his right. They toppled to the ground, landing rather harmless blows; Jack was still sore from climbing out of the rabbit hole and Hatter was still unsteady on his feet. They were cursing at one another, Jack managing to land another blow before Hatter slammed his knee into Jack's groin hard and slammed his fist into the other man's chin. The Knave leapt in between the pair of them, grabbing hold of Jack's collar and Hatter's arm, holding them apart like two cats in the middle of a fight.

"Are you both done? Like two children and I know for a fact you can both act like men!" he asked before they could do any irrepairable damage. Jack grunted and nodded, Hatter shrugging and stepping away. Still standing between them, the Knave looked at him. "Where did you come from?"

"Forest," Hatter said. Jack growled at Hatter's attempt at humour and the young man rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you just be thankful I got here?"

"You're dressed like a Crow," Charlie said as he continued to take him in. "It looks...bizarre. Where did you get that get-up?"

"Believe me, leather chafes worse in winter," Hatter admitted as he stretched a leg out. The leather was a little long on him and he didn't seem as uncomfortable he was trying to put over. "Really bad. Can see why those things used to be birds, not men. But it wasn't hard to impersonate them. Just had to dull me brain and pretend I was Jackie-boy here."

The Knave kept his restraining hand on Jack.

"But you were mad..."

"I'm not now, am I?" Hatter snapped and the Knave looked closely at him. There was a barely healed gash on his head, the bump there bruised and tender looking, but there was no sign of the danger from before. It still simmered there but not as out of control, not as terrible as he had seen it before.

"I suppose not," he admitted. Hatter looked at them all, his mouth suddenly hardening when he realized who was missing.

"Where's Alice?" he demanded.

Jack shook his head and saw Hatter's eyes flicker, saw the truth. Hatter may claim to be sane but the madness seemed to be lingering, his control keeping it on a tight rein. "The White Queen trapped her in the Manor. Chesh betrayed us," he said and Hatter sighed. He seemed to accept Chesh's betrayal as natural. To him it had been a matter of when and this had certainly been not what he wanted to hear.

"I was afraid of that. Did you find the Sceptre?" he asked and Jack nodded, his grim expression making Hatter suck in a breath. "I see. Alice found it but the White Queen probably felt it move."

The Knave looked at Hatter. "How did you get here so quickly?"

"I cheat at chess. I always hated the game," he answered simply. "Guinevere was a big help as well. Thanks, Charlie."

The White Knight almost blushed. "Where on earth did you get that costume, Hatter?"

"Found a few lurking around your horses, knew that you had stumbled into trouble. Guessed and followed a few back around to the rear of the Manor. Lucky for you all that they are rather single-minded. Didn't see me coming."

"You saw the White Queen?" Jack demanded and Hatter nodded, his face losing its amused expression.

"In the flesh. She must have transformed the Crows though she was supposed to be powerless." Hatter tugged at the short coat he wore, looking uncomfortable suddenly. "She was locked away in exile, to die, and without her power. I would have thought that the Cards had placed blocks on her."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Clearly the harridan is not powerless, Hatter."

"I know, Charlie. Saw her myself. Like a bad dream," Hatter answered. "But she's not what I'm worried about. We need to get Alice out of that place and fast."

Moving surprisingly fast for a man who only a day before had been succumbing to madness, Hatter strode back to the Manor. The others followed, glancing around at the barren grounds so that they did not see the tension that he moved with. For Hatter, it was like moving back into the past and he had no intention of leaving here until he saved Alice.

* * *


	28. The Messenger's Tea

The fire had started to dim by the time Alice stopped crying, but the strange man across from her was content to sip his tea as he waited for her to sniffle to a stop. It was strange to Alice but then again, she barely realised it. It was traumatic seeing her father as vividly as she had, to have been talking to him and joking with him, so that she barely registered that the room had changed again, that she had changed. The room was no longer a white bedroom and study but a cozy cottage filled with strange woodcarvings, books, tea pots, and a warm fire. She didn't even guess at it or at the sudden return of her memories. Mr. Grey sighed and put his now empty teacup back onto its saucer and leaned back in his chair. He adjusted his suit jacket around him before he crossed his hands over his stomach.

"So. Miss. Alice Hamilton," he said warmly but there was something strangely off in the way he said it. As if he was struggling with the words, like his mouth was stiff from lack of use.

"Who are you?" Alice asked as she wiped her hand across her face. Her skin felt wet from the tears she had cried and she was certain her nose was bright red. He didn't seem to notice or even care.

"I'm a friend, Alice. To Alices old and new. At least, I'm a friend in the beginning to some...depends on what happens later," Grey admitted. Alice stood from her chair, giving a harsh laugh.

"I have had my fill of strangers claiming to be my friends!" She gestured to where only a short time ago her father had sat. "Are you one of those…those…things?"

"An Examiner?" he asked and she nodded. He rolled his eyes and snorted. "Nah. I'm not even real actually, just a memory that stumbled into this old place. A memory not quite washed out from the Manor. A ghost I suppose you would say." He stood and bowed to her. "Grey Hatta, the King's unfortunate Messenger for twenty years, and one time protector of Alice the First."

He sat back down with a huff of air and Alice stared at him incredulously.

"You're…you're Hatter's father?" Alice stuttered. She looked over him, seeing the odd familiarity now that he mentioned it. The set of their faces was similar, the same wild amusement in the eyes tamed by a strange sadness, the sharp intelligence that was almost mocking her. "You're dead."

""I am well aware of that, thank you for remindin' me," Grey said irritably. He gestured for her to take her seat again and waited until she had before he smiled. "Ah yes. Noble David Dolan Theodeus Hatter's father."

"Noble?" Alice asked, frowning before cluing in. "Hatter's real first name is Noble?"

"His mother's choice of name; he was never thrilled with it. Can't blame him, used to hate it when I used it on him. Then again, we only go by our choice of last name, our family does. He used to be a Hatta, ye know…until he was five and decided he wanted to be like his grandfather," Grey admitted. Alice thought over the names quietly, wondering why Hatter didn't like the first name. But would she have taken him seriously if he had introduced himself as 'Noble Hatter'? Likely not. She could barely take all of Charlie's names seriously, let alone a name like Noble David Dolan Theodeus.

"Why am I here?" she tried, trying to take Hatter off her mind. Grey Hatta shrugged.

"My guess is that you fell into a trap set by the White Queen. White Queens are very good at traps, astonishingly so you know. She likely found somethin' she wanted from you and took it," he explained. Alice tried to think it over.

"But she was so kind," Alice began and he rolled his eyes.

"White Queens always are. But they're like kittens with razor claws. Soft appearing but toy with them and you'll feel the pinch. You never forget it either," he pointed out. He leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows on the old oak as he looked at her eagerly. "But you, Alice, gave her quite the difficulty. All Alices get involved with White Queens, sooner or later I believe. I was delighted to find you. It was a strange pull and I have been asleep for some time you know. Yet, here I am!"

"Alices?" she mimicked and he nodded. "What happened? To the first Alice I mean?"

His face pulled into serious lines the same way Hatter's did. "She grew to realise her potential, her power. She was very strong, you know. Her will, emotions, imagination, her ability to craft it…perfection."

For some absurd reason, Alice felt a twinge of inadequacy thinking of the long dead girl. "Must be why the stories were written."

"Well, stories can change you know. Always in the telling that the change happens. She wasn't perfection in all things." He sighed. "But in the things she believed that mattered, she was. "

There was a sudden depth in his emotion, strong and clearly grieving him. It reminded Alice of Jack and his struggle to admit his growing love for the Duchess, something he was trying to hide. It was like her own struggle to admit her love for Hatter. Yet Grey was hiding it because it hurt him, not because it terrified him. Even after his death it seemed like it hurt him.

"You loved her," she whispered.

He looked distinctly uncomfortable now, twisting his fingers nervously. "There is nothing more depressin' than a one-sided love, girl. Especially when you love someone very deeply and they know that you do. Know that you do and do not care."

"She was a child," Alice said, her morality from her world snapping at her to point it out. He gave her a disgusted look and she blushed at the fury in the look.

"Please, I am not so far gone in the madness to not realize a child when I see one," he snapped. "When she truly returned for her chess game, for the real game, she was a woman close to your age and long in control. The awe of Wonderland and all who met her spoke of her. During the game, those lucky enough to meet her realized how much potential she had. We knew it when she successfully dodged battles with the Tweedles and the Jabberwocks. As for me…well, my love for her was immediate. I met her just days after an imprisonment for some stupid thieving I was going to do, already a guest of the new White King and I admit that I loved her. I would have and often did do anything I could to help her win her freedom from the chess game."

"What happened?"

"We lost her. Simple and sad as that. Then I married my Abigail who gave me Hatter and a family I had missed ever since my own old man went completely bonkers and off the deep end the first time he met an Alice. He raised Hatter with me when Abigail died when he was just a toddler. I stayed with the newest White King and Queen until the wars began. Then went into exile…then executed."

He said it lightly, as if it did not concern him, but it made a knot turn in Alice's stomach. That he could treat it so lightly while Hatter was obviously plagued by his own torments infuriated her and she nearly forgot that this was just the ghost of a memory talking to her.

"Hatter feels guilty about…"

"He was a child who did what he thought was best. We raised him that way after his mother died. We protected him from Time when his attempt to keep us safe nearly killed him…and we paid the price so that he could try to live without our curse," Grey said, leaning back again. He seemed content in giving her a history lesson about his son and Alice, despite her hurt and anger with Hatter, was eager to learn it. Perhaps this would give her a reason why he had acted like this.

"Who is Time?" she asked and he frowned.

"I can hear you pronounce the 'I'. It is t, h, y. Thyme. The herb. The White Queen's daughter that threatened Hatter. It was after her death that the Queen went mad in a way different than even I went, and turned on all of her servants save those smart enough to always stay one step ahead of her." Grey shrugged. "When the Queen went mad, she tried to spring Archibades from his prison but she was nearly powerless."

Alice looked around the hallucination she was having. "She seems powerful right now."

"Probably leeching off of someone else until she can find her own power." Grey settled back more into his seat, shimmying down to get comfortable as he put his boots onto the table. "She has enough power to keep her victims trapped and her servants are still strong."

"So that is why you are still here?"

"Something like that. She killed me herself you know but that's how it is with being a ghost in Wonderland. If you choose it, you can't leave the side of someone who kills you until they let you go," he answered her.

Alice thought of Hatter, the nightmares he had clearly had on their trip. "Have you ever gone to Hatter? In a dream or something?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't. How would you feel if your mother died as well as your father and you felt responsible?"

Alice jerked, thinking about her mother. Her mother who thought Alice was safe and on a trip to meet Hatter's family. Ironic really, Alice thought. She missed her mother then and she shivered. "But he misses you"

"The boy has enough bad memories about his family than to have me appearing to him."

"Someone else did then," Alice whispered to herself, frowning to herself. He looked at her expectantly. She cleared her throat. "He…he was attacked by Archibades. He went mad."

"I see." Grey's face grew solemn. "We all have our different style of madness you know. The Hatter line is more devastating because of all we know and how it's passed down. We tried to help him learn how to set up traps so that it would never happen but it relies on his own strength."

He lifted a hand and Alice realised that he was starting to look farther away, as if the short table had suddenly become a long dining table.

"But I think it is you, Alice, who needs to learn how to use yourself. So that others do not have the chance to here. Wonderland uses people, it is how it is. So now you need to learn how to harness that glow of yours, use that little bit of power all Oysters have. Who knows, maybe you can do some good with it," he said with a wink as the distance grew further and further between them. He began to whistle a merry tune while he faded into the distance and Alice cried out his name once before the room grew dark.

* * *

His whistling was echoing in her ears as Alice slowly came to, her eyes fluttering open to see a white light swinging overhead. She felt drugged, her muscles cramped and her arms and head both felt heavy. Her legs were numb, slipped through leather cuffs to hold them down, but she could still feel the cold of the metal table beneath herself. Her arms had put into holders, not trapping her but holding her down so that she couldn't twist far. The room was a strange sight, a mixture of colours from vials and lights, and shiny metal walls.

"Her Majesty will not be pleased that the girl destroyed Examiner One. She was supposed to be dead three hours ago," a nasally high voice whined nearby and Alice turned her head slowly to look.

"She is simply stronger than we thought. We drained her to the point of death you know," another answered. Alice blinked, finally seeing who was speaking. Two of the tall white creatures, like the one she had seen her father turn into, stood with their backs to her. They were watching a holographic image shining up from a silver orb, flickering now and again. Lifting her head, Alice stared at the image for a moment before realizing what it was. It was one of her memories, playing like a movie, of her last time in Wonderland. She could see herself and Hatter staring at Jack, who was staring at her intently.

" _So who are you going to trust to get you and your father back home? A resistance insider and future king, who's already scheduled your return trip through the looking glass, who cares for you more than anyone else in the world. Or this man?"_

The Examiners clucked in confusion. "So which one was it? The King of Hearts must love this girl then, wouldn't you agree?"

"A strange memory," the second one said. "Do you suppose this girl was to be a Queen?"

"Piffle. We only have room for two Queens these days. Her Majesty gave her to us, so she must not be one of them," the first stated.

"What on earth?" Alice whispered, looking around the strange laboratory. Both Examiners whipped about, staring at her in shock from their white eyes.

"The Oyster is awake," one with a nametag of Two whispered. The other, evidently Three, nodded before its stitch like mouth parted into a gruesome grin. It took a few steps toward Alice.

"Come now, precious Oyster, time to go back to sleep, yes? Get your rest and you can see your father again?" it wheedled.

"Where am I?" Alice demanded hoarsely, her head foggy from the drugs still. She gave it a shake and winced at her headache. She slipped her hands out of the holders in order to push herself up. "Who are you?"

"Just lie back, Oyster. You can forget this all and get some well earned rest," Examiner Two said. Alice looked between the two.

"No, I don't want to sleep," Alice answered, trying to wiggle her toes. Desperation started to eat at her when they refused to wiggle. _Move, damn it!_ she ordered her feet. Finally, the sensation started to come back to her toes and bringing with it a sting of pain and feeling. Relieved, she looked back up and jumped in her place at the closeness of one of the Examiners. His stitched mouth was half open in a snarl as he bent close to her. He had her arm in his hand before she could yank away, plunging a needle into her arm. The fluid went half way before Alice recovered from her shock and elbowed him hard in his flat nose. The other Examiner lunged for her and she slid from the table, ignoring her shaky legs to block his blow with her forearm. The Examiners were strong and strangely flexible; when Alice bent Two's arm behind his back, he twisted impossibly far with his back to toss her to the ground. She landed hard, her wind gone.

Gasping for breath, Alice cried out when he threw himself on top of her to try to pin her to the ground. She shifted her body and got a leg between them, shoving hard and sending him overhead. He flew into the holograph orb, crashing into the electrical panel behind it and his head made a crack as it hit the metal wall. The electrical buzzed for a moment, sending brilliant sparks into the air that caused Alice to shield her eyes.

When she looked back up, the other Examiner was gone but she heard him running through a corridor, shouting for help. Alice stumbled to the open door, growing more and more aware of the drugged feeling seeping into her body again.

"Come on, Alice. Pull yourself together. You need to get out of here," she ordered herself. She gave another shake of her head before she pulled herself through the door into the moonlit corridor.

The corridor led to a strange ballroom that was unlike any of the others she had seen in the White Manor. The ceilings were incredibly high, supported by Grecian pillars and arches, the light coming in naturally from the moon through crafted skylights. Yet it threw shadows against the pillars and walls, so that the room was still very dark and not too. It was almost like a massive cavern, the sound of her boots clicking on the marble loud and rhythmic. She could almost swear that she could hear her heart beating as well. Trying to adjust her eyes to the change of light, Alice ran half way down the ballroom before she had to stop. She slipped up beside a pillar set closer to a wall and nearly broke into tears as more sensation came back to her aching feet. Frustrated with herself, she crouched and began to rub at them through her boots. The feeling burned even as the strange drugs moving through her body nearly made her nauseous.

While Alice crouched, a set of doors slammed open and she froze in her place. She heard the sound of marching feet moving with military precision through the ballroom and she froze in place, listening before she peeked around the side of the pillar. Trotting in the moonlit centre of the ballroom were six men, each almost identical. They were a strange set of men, jogging up to where she had come from, their unvarying appearance bizarre. Black leather, strangely painted faces, and utter sameness that had no real place in Wonderland.

For some reason, Alice whispered, "Crows…" It was a strange thing to say and she wasn't sure why she said it. Yet it suited them and their appearance, even the way they kept looking around was birdlike. It was a mistake for her to talk, Alice realized, as they all stopped and looked around behind them. One lifted his black-gloved hand in the air and they all turned slowly, as if listening for her. They almost appeared to twitch as she watched them, one shaking its shoulders like a bird agitated. Four of them chirped back and forth rapidly, two nodding and dropping back. They were chirping as they moved now, the remaining two of them leaving the rear of the guard to stalk the pillars in the room.

They were moving quickly in the ballroom, so quickly that Alice nearly lost track of them as they came toward her. The darkness of their clothing made it hard enough to see them, let alone Alice's still poor vision. They were scouting for her, each moving quickly from one end to the other. One went to the other side of the massive ballroom while the other stayed on Alice's side of the room, both moving back and forth between the pillars as if trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. They scouted quickly, the one coming closer and closer to her row of pillars.

Alice closed her eyes while she curled tighter into a ball, praying to be invisible and for her feet to work properly. She swallowed, shuffling around to the other side of the pillar just as the Crow passed her row of pillars. The man stopped, turning his head left and right and then on angles. Alice put a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her breathing. The Crow sucked in a breath and let it out slowly like a dog scenting its game. He could clearly hear her though and Alice stood, clenching her fingers into fists at her sides. She was hidden enough in the shadows that he didn't see the action, still listening for her but not turning around yet. Alice waited for him to take a step left before she grabbed at him, swinging her arm around his neck as she jumped on his back. She shoved her other hand over his mouth to stop him from crying out and began to press on his windpipe with her arm. He was strong but she was determined to force him to go down, her legs even squeezing at his sides to force the air out of him. The struggle was silent as he went first to his knees and then to his stomach. She felt him go limp beneath her body and she waited a few seconds before releasing him.

Staring at his unconscious body, Alice glanced over for the other Crow and saw that it was slowly retreating back to where they were. Alice relaxed for only a moment before she was on her feet again, racing to another pillar and hiding there. The other Crow made a sound as it stumbled upon its comrade's body, an odd squawk. The Crow broke into a run, racing to where the others had gone and she made a break for it, opening the first door she came to and swinging through.

The hallway she came to was not as large as the ballroom, the ceilings closer and the hallway even darker. Filled with alcoves and doors, it was straight from one side to the other. Despite how small it was, it was far more comforting than the overly large ballroom. Alice pressed herself close against a wall and sucked in her breath again nervously. Her body was protesting her sudden movements, her legs still shaky, but she was running on adrenaline now, knowing that she had to escape though she didn't know where she was going.

She wanted to think about what had happened, linger on it and take it apart but she knew that she didn't have the time to think about it. The White Queen had intended to kill her and it was likely that her men would not rest until she was dead. She didn't know if the Manor was crawling with these creatures or if these were the only ones.

_Where were the others? Where was Jack, the Knave, Chesh and Charlie? Had the White Queen captured them as well or were they still wandering the Manor halls?_

The possibility of finding them strengthened Alice's resolve, letting her move far faster than she would have before to get to the other end of the corridor. She was almost to the oak door, her fingers grasping the brass knob, when she heard the sound of boots on marble again. Alice ran halfway back down the corridor to the darker alcove just in time, pressing herself back tight against the wall while the sound of chirping and squawking filled the hallway. It was a frightening sound and she resisted the urge to put her hands over her ears the way that a child might. Again, a small group went trotting through intently to the other end of the hallway. There were more of the Crows this time, passing her by as they stared intently into at the other door. She glanced behind them, seeing nothing, before she moved to the other side of the alcove wall to watch them, waiting to see if any were about to be left behind. They all disappeared through the door before she finally relaxed enough to breathe easier again.

A hand suddenly grasped her shoulder and she spun instinctively, holding the hand in hers before twisting it. She threw her attacker to the ground using his own weight and darted to the other side of the corridor to give herself room to fight. The movement made her sag against the wall for a moment, trying to control her churning stomach. After coughing harshly for a moment, he recovered and sprang to his feet across from her. Another Crow, she realized as she slipped into her defensive stance and braced herself for his attack.

The Crow did nothing to close the distance between them, just stared at her blankly. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Alice went on the attack and leapt forward. He grabbed her fist in his, blocking the blow quickly before turning her around and pressing her into the alcove. She lurched away from him but he was almost lost in the darkness of the alcove's shadows, masked by his black attire.

"Alice, calm down," an accented voice rasped near her ear, a hand touching her hand and squeezing it. Alice stopped struggling and blinked as she looked up into the shadows. "It's all right, luv." The voice penetrated her drugged mind further and she struggled to see. The sure grip, the North Wonderland accent, the faint cologne…all of it was so familiar. Daring to hope, she reached out and grabbed a leather-clad arm.

"Hatter?"


	29. Misused Pawns

"Hatter?" Alice repeated. Her vision cleared slightly, her fingers tightening on his arm, and Hatter stepped from the darkness to the faint light coming in from the windows. He was still dark enough that he was hard to see but the light gave her enough to study. Alice took in the strip of face paint, the black clothing and absurdly slicked black hair with her own wide, confused eyes. This was Hatter...maybe... he seemed like some bland twin of Hatter, not at all the man she knew. For several reasons, not to mention that the tame hair was strange and so was the clean shaven face. Both absurd points to focus on but Alice lingered on it out of reflex before blinking and straining to see in the darkness. The shadows lifted slightly and the strain lessened. She looked up into his face and saw the brown eyes, the twinkle in them as he grinned at her crookedly. Then the cold twin of Hatter melted in her eyes and he became the one she knew.

"Hello," Hatter said lowly and with obvious delight, lifting his hand to cup her cheek. His thumb grazed over a small bruise on her cheek but Alice couldn't look away. She stared into his warm eyes, now darkened more by the strip of black paint that divided his face into odd halves. Then the light seemed to dim in his eyes slightly and they both remembered the last time he had touched her. Knowing she should be furious or frightened at the very least, Alice could only feel the touch of his hand. The familiarity of it made her relax and she used his presence to anchor herself. Alice swayed against his hand and he dropped it from her face as if nervous about it being there. "What happened?" Hatter demanded while he looked over his shoulder.

"I…" Alice frowned, wracking her brain furiously. She should remember but already she could feel her body starting to feel lethargic again. Panic flooded her that this could be another hallucination conjured by the White Queen. "I don't know. I can't remember. I'm so tired, Hatter, and I can't remember. I can't..."

The hysterical note in her voice made him shush her with a gentle murmur while he looked over his shoulder. "That's okay. Alice, don't focus on it. Just breathe. We need to get out of here but we need to wait for the guards to move in the next room as well. I slipped through but there was more coming."

She drew a deep shaky breath and nodded, starting to shiver again.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Alice asked, focussing on his appearance instead. Hatter shrugged, looking back at her as he self-consciously tugged on the coat lapel.

"Doing a rook's job, Alice. Saving the king and queen," he answered wryly. "I get to move in straight lines, you know."

"But you were in the Taiga…you should be lost," Alice whispered. Chesh had explained the rules to them all and she knew as well as Hatter did that the Taiga was very specific. He should be lost for days or at the beginning of the Taiga…wallowing in insanity perhaps. The thought made her heart actuallyhurt, even with him standing right before her. She was having a hard time believing that he was actually here in front of her, that this wasn't some hallucination. Alice hadn't expected that the thought could hurt as badly as it did. Unable to keep herself still, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his cheek, curling them against his now smooth jaw. His eyes fluttered slightly, as if the sensation of her fingers on his skin was nearly too incredible for him to bear while she slid her fingers around his face. He felt warm to her touch and Alice knew that she wasn't dreaming.

"I cheat at chess," Hatter said weakly and she stopped stroking his cheek. "You know me, I never have much patience for these sort of games. I always hated playing chess, you know."

Alice closed her eyes, her fingers still lingering on his face. She slid them down to his chest, feeling his heart banging an impatient rhythm beneath the thick clothing.

"Hatter…after what happened…how could you come here?" He gave her a puzzled look. "Everything that happened here…that must have happened…" She stared back, letting him know that she was now starting to realize why he had feared this place. "Why didn't you just wait for us to come back? Or just…left. I don't even know how you managed to get back here…"

"That's going to have to wait, Alice. I can't explain that in the thirty seconds we likely have left before that guard changes over," Hatter answered with a grin. She didn't smile back.

"After what I said to you…how can you come back here?"

As guilty as he might feel about his actions, Alice had her own guilt about her words to him. She could still feel his crushing strength but she could still taste her own bitter words. Knew that in her pain she had tried to hurt him just as badly as he had hurt her. Even through the shadows his eyes found hers and he lost the smile for a moment.

"Alice, I love you. Of course I would try to come back to you," Hatter said simply, the declaration falling naturally from his lips. "Did you think I'd let something like the Taiga keep me from finding you and making sure you were safe? Keep me from making sure you weren't getting into the trouble you often get into? It's not very likely."

She stared dumbly at him, his words making her throat clench. She was choking on the words she wanted to say, and he gave her a sheepish grin at her silence.

Alice was kept from responding when they heard a door slam open. Hatter pressed tight against her, his black clothing hiding them both as he pulled the long overcoat around her body. He felt her shiver as he hid her against him and felt her icy hands press against his chest. She was missing her coat and the cold was beginning to seep through the green shirt she wore. Listening for the Crows, Hatter took his one hand down and slid her almost frozen fingers between the folds of the leather armour and his shirt. He pressed them against his chest, ignoring the way the cold made him shiver when Alice whispered her thanks and pressed tight against his warmth. He bent his head against her shoulder to hide his face; he absorbed into the shadow so easily that no one just passing through would have seen them.

Hatter focussed on Alice's light breathing, smelling the faint sweetness on her skin. There was a drug in her system, he could tell; years of selling a style of drug to abusers let him have a good head for when one was used. Whatever it was made her tired but he didn't have time to linger on how to get it out of her. He listened instead to the sound of pounding boots and doors closing around them, counting to ten in his head before he lifted it and peeked around the corners. Glancing around, he grasped Alice's hand in his and tugged.

For a drugged girl, she kept up to his speed easily, racing beside him through the hallways. Hatter found himself remembering the corridors with remarkable ease, forcing his mind not to wander when it started to slip into dark corners. He ignored it when he felt the threat of the trap in his mind springing again as painful memories played in his head. Instead, he focussed on the tight grip Alice had on his hand as they ran through the corridors.

Alice hadn't realized how deep they were in the Manor until it began to feel that the Manor was going on and on, a maze of hallways and rooms each as empty and lifeless as the next. Hatter never looked away, moving with sureness that she wasn't certain he actually felt. The sureness stopped when he suddenly ground to a halt and she bumped into him. He looked left and right at two doors, frowning.

"This is…new. The hallway changed," he murmured.

"Which way?" Alice asked and he gave a shrug.

"Could be either. This wasn't here last time I was through here. But instinct tells me left," Hatter admitted. He moved to the left door and popped it open to reveal a study.

There was a small group of Crows seeming to be discussing strategy, a map of the Manor hanging on the wall. At the sound of the door opening, the Crows turned around and stared at them. Hatter swallowed, watching while they moved a few steps toward them and chirped inquisitively.

"Chirp…chirp….squawk?" Hatter tried weakly. The Crows looked at each other and Hatter just managed to slam the door before the Crows made it to the door. Beside him, Alice was staring at him incredulously. Hatter looked back at her before he ran to the other door, pulling it open to reveal another hallway.

"Chirp chirp?" Alice mimicked irritably. He huffed, grabbing her hand and starting to run again.

"Well, I was bound to be wrong at some time. I also don't speak bird, Alice. Feel free to chime in next time," he sniped back over his shoulder as they ran to the end of the corridor. It opened into another hall and he sighed, pausing to stare at it in exasperation. "I don't remember there being this many halls."

Behind them, Alice heard the sound of a door breaking down and men running down the marble halls. "I don't think it's time to be wondering about it, Hatter!"

She pulled on his arm and they ran down the hall. They were nearly at the other end of the hall when a door opened and Alice's arm was yanked on. She yelped, falling to the right and dragging Hatter down with her into the room. They fell hard to the marble floor, Hatter getting to his feet quickly and relaxing before Alice even had a chance to get to her feet.

"Alice!" Jack cried, grabbing her hands and pulling her up to her feet. Alice swayed dizzily and was immediately wrapped into a suffocating hug by a blubbering Charlie.

"Justalice! I had thought that I may have to contact you through the Oracles of Time and…"

"Yeah, save it, Charlie," Hatter answered. He and the Knave were at the door, leaning against it. Alice ran her fingers over her arms, cold again now that they had stopped.

"Where is Chesh?" Alice asked in confusion and they all avoided her eye for a minute. The Knave finally looked at her.

"He was the traitor, Miss. Alice," he informed her coldly before leaning against the door again. She started; staring at him because she remembered how convinced she had been that the Knave was the traitor.

_Chesh had betrayed them to serve the White Queen…why did that suddenly seem so right? Crows, Cheshires…they all served her. Who knew what else did?_

"They're coming down this hall. We'll need to make a break for it. I'm hoping that they can't catch us once we get to the front," the Knave said as he pressed an ear against the door. Hatter snorted.

"Any bright ideas beyond that? We all got some of the guns from those other Crows we took out but there's too many and shooting in close quarters ain't that safe," Hatter pointed out and the man gave him a look before he glanced at Alice. He glanced back again, frowning as he looked at her.

"What happened to you? Your mark is gone," the Knave pointed out. They all looked at her and she flushed self-consciously, rubbing at her skin. Jack lifted her hair for her.

"He's right."

"I…I don't know. I just remember her touching my neck," Alice answered. She ran her hands up and down her arms hard. Hatter came back toward her, pulling off the heavy overcoat and holding it out for her. He was still draped in the Crow's uniform from head to toe leather armour, so the overcoat was merely overheating him. Alice took it gratefully, shoving the sleeves to her elbows and finding that she was warming quickly.

"Her? The White Queen?" Jack demanded and she nodded as she buttoned a few holes on the coat. "This is just getting better and better. Why would she take a mark?"

Hatter looked away from Alice and at the door. "I'm thinking we should save this till we are clear. We'll need to take the straight way through until we get to the stairs." He opened the door and peeked out, seeing the Crows lingering where they had come from. "Charlie? You'll be keeping up, yeah?"

The White Knight huffed indignantly. "Of course, Harbinger, I am not some feeble old man."

"Right then. I suggest Royalty first," Hatter declared and Jack gave him a look. All of them were looking at him actually, even Alice, and Hatter sighed, checking on the Crows who now were looking away from them. " 'Course. Pick on the insane one just because he knows the area."

He jerked the door open and they all followed him as silently as they could. They crept as quickly as they could, Hatter gesturing to them as he opened the door to the next hall. But Charlie's armour was noisy enough that it clattered and the Crows chirped. Hatter ushered the others through the door and turned in time to see the Crows charging impossibly fast toward them.

"Charlie!" Hatter said as he ran beside the older man, whom was moving with his usual knobbly kneed pace. "Now would be a good time not to move like an old man!" He grabbed hold of the Knight's arm and yanked him after them all. The Knave grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled him as well while Hatter let go.

Hatter led, slamming open doors, while the Knave took the rear, unable to close the doors behind them as they raced. Jack realised that Alice was starting to lag, grabbing her hand and pulling her beside him. She seemed to be growing tired, her eyes huge and pale in her face. Hatter skittered this way and that way, following some invisible map as he went, muttering to himself directions and occasionally looking over his shoulder at them all.

When they reached the last hall and the stairs came into view, they all began to sprint, hopeful at the sight of possible escape. Hatter skittered on the marble, sliding halfway past the staircase on the slick floor. Jack and Alice turned for the stairs, not seeing the black shape launching itself for Jack, its body that of a man and a bird. It crashed into them, raising a hand to grab at Jack's throat. The young Heart felt the fingers tighten on his windpipe, black spots in his vision as he gasped for breath. There was a loud bird-cry and Jack felt the grip tighten to almost crushing strength. Alice went to help him but was thrown to the side, Hatter barely catching her from falling over the railing. The Knave sprang forward, letting go of Charlie and leaping forward, latching himself around what appeared to be flying Crow. This one was more birdlike and massive than the others, actual black wings attached to its back that beat in fury when it tried to dislodge him.

It sprang from its knees and straight up into the air, slamming its back against the wall. There was a crunch of marble and ceramic, the Knave still clinging to its back even when his head cracked hard against the marble. The Crow sprang into the air again and he grabbed its head and chin in his hands, twisting hard to the left. There was a snap of bone and the creature squealed, falling over the railing with him to the foyer floor. They heard the loud crunch of the pair landing and Alice scrambled across the broken stairs. Charlie and Hatter grabbed the still stunned Jack under his arms, following Alice down the stairs.

The Knave was lying on the ground, still breathing but staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, while the Crow's body was lying broken to the side. "Are you okay?" Alice asked as she fell to her knees beside him. She couldn't see anything broken beyond the marble he lay upon.

"Beyond falling two stories onto my back…yes," the Knave drawled, his eyes finding his King. "Sire?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you. What about you?" Jack asked and the Knave shrugged, groaning as he pushed himself up. Hatter and Charlie exchanged a look, knowing that the impact of the fall should have killed the Knave. When Hatter looked back at the Knave, he saw the blood dripping down the pale man's ear and opened his mouth. The Knave caught his eye and shook his head firmly.

"We're close," Hatter said instead. He turned to the massive doors and jerked to a halt, swallowing the lump in his throat. The others turned slowly at the sound, crowding behind him as they saw the Crows blocking the door. There were more this time, all staring intently at them. Jack cleared his throat.

"You don't think you could trick them again, do you?" he whispered to Hatter and the man gave a nervous laugh.

"Ah…no."

Alice sighed. "We've already established that he can't speak bird."

Hatter gave her an annoyed look over his shoulder. "We couldn't just strike a bargain with them? I am good at that."

"The White Queen claimed they would only serve her. She must have transformed birds into men though; these aren't normal," Jack answered, one hand going to his coat to wrap around the butt of the stolen gun. "And I don't think we have enough bullets."

Alice stared at the Crows, edging past Hatter slightly to look at them. They were all staring stoically at them. She barely remembered what Crows were in the book _Through the Looking Glass_ , they hadn't really figured that much into the story line beyond a bit of a red herring to further the plot. The book, the story she remembered, had been remarkably true though. From the Tweedles to the Queen of Hearts, there were pieces here and there in this world she was travelling… how much was here that she hadn't really seen?

The thought of the insane doctors made Alice look at the Crows with more curiosity than before. _" 'Tweedledum and Tweedledee, agreed to have a battle,_ ' " she whispered and Hatter looked over at her but Alice was staring intently ahead of herself, still swaying a bit from the drugs.

"What you doin'?" he asked. "It's not a kid's story, remember?"

"The Checkerboard Taiga…it wasn't called that in the story I read. But everything we've seen…there's been pieces of it here," Alice answered. "What if the Crows are something the White Queen took control of?"

"Not sure how she did that. Crows bein' birds and all," Hatter argued but she shushed him. The pieces were sliding together into her head like jigsaw puzzles but she couldn't stop to explain it to him. Alice moved around him and shook off his hand when he went to keep her back. The Crows across from them all seemed to shake their shoulders, several moving forward from the doors as well. Alice didn't make a threatening move to them and the strange men didn't do more than stare at her.

" _For Tweedledum said Tweedledee had spoiled his nice new rattle_ ," Alice recited as she walked forward, her eyes on the ground as she struggled to remember the odd little rhyme that suddenly came to mind. _" 'Just then flew down a monstrous crow, as black as a tar-barrel; which frightened both the heroes so, they quite forgot their quarrel.' "_

She stopped halfway across the foyer hall, the Crows meeting her half way and seeming ruffle with tension. Alice stared at them, seeing them up close and finally in more detail. Unlike Hatter's face, there was a faint mark of a checkerboard on one side of their necks and on the other side was another mark, that of a serpent eating an egg. Alice saw the Crows still staring back at her and cleared her throat, the stories flickering through her head.

"First Boy!" she declared, feeling more than a little foolish as she pointed at the Crow nearest her and snapped her fingers. The man jumped and squawked. "Next Boy!" Another squawked and Alice continued down the line, pointing at each and snapping her fingers. When she did it, each one stared at her in rapid fascination, one even looking at her green shirt. The others, standing far behind her, watched in confusion, but Alice felt like her skin was almost quivering. She lifted the shirt enough that she exposed her second mark, the green wings that decorated her hip, and saw that that mark was still bright.

The Crows gave another squawk in unison this time and Alice put the shirt down, squaring her shoulders. She looked at the first in the eye, the rhymes now in her head with stark clarity. " _`I wish the monstrous crow would come!' thought Alice',_ " she recited again. "So you did come, you saved her…and you were captured." One ducked its head, the way a bird would to peck at its wing, and Alice felt a flash of pity for the creatures. They were all looking so intently at her, the way a captured bird would from its golden cage. Starving for freedom. None of them stepped toward her; all on guard though.

"She called for help in her mind and you came to save her. But she never let you go, did she?" Alice asked, and the first Crow gave a squawk. His black eyes dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry."

Behind her, Hatter and Jack exchanged puzzled looks. "Did you teach her how to speak bird?" Hatter asked.

"Not to my recollection. I can't. You?"

"Wasn't really on my mind. Considering I don't speak it."

Alice didn't hear them, reaching out slowly with her hand. The Crow stared at it, bracing himself, but Alice touched its icy hand. "Why won't you let us go?" Alice asked while she let his hand go. The Crow seemed to shudder, opening its mouth to speak.

Its voice was harsh from misuse. "We serve her."

"She's mistreated you though," Alice answered. "How can you serve someone who forces you to kill?"

"We have only known two of her kind with her power," the Crow answered but his fingers suddenly laced around Alice's. Alice gasped and shut her eyes. The image of the Crows on their knees when the White Queen demanded their fealty flooded Alice's mind. She saw when the creatures were frozen to statues or trapped in the Ivory Woods, unable to escape because of that bond. Then the vision was gone and she stared at the lead Crow in shock.

"Do you know why she asked you to keep us here?" Alice tried and the Crow nodded.

"To keep the Oyster and the King contained."

"My name is Alice," Alice corrected and the man gave a jerk, as if her name had struck him like a slap.

"The Alice?" he parroted. The phrase was rapidly becoming familiar and Alice nodded.

"I am The Alice," she said, playing along. He looked at the others.

"We were created from the mind to serve Alices," the creature stated. He released her hand.

"Then let us go. We can help win your freedom," Alice said. The Crows looked at her and then at one another, chirping back and forth. Alice thought about the stories, the rhymes about the Tweedle Twins. "You were asked to save an Alice. I'm asking you to save our lives and Wonderland by letting us go."

The lead Crow took a step back, his eyes darting to his comrades nervously. They chirped back and forth rapidly, loud clicks and whistles. The lead Crow looked at her again. "We cannot renege on our vow," he stated stubbornly.

"What vow?"

"To serve the Queens, the Alice and who the Alice tells us to serve." He gave a twitch of his head to the side, staring as the others slowly walked up behind Alice. Alice bit into her lower lip.

"I am Alice," she insisted.

"We were made to serve the Alice. There was a declaration you know," the Crow answered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a weathered piece of paper. "But we do not remember it. We cannot read it."

Behind Alice, Charlie gained the faraway look in his eyes and Hatter gave him a hard nudge in the side. The man sputtered out instantly "I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head!' "

The Crows squawked in irritation at him while Hatter struggled to silence the old Knight. Under the noise, Alice read the rhyme on the scrap of paper aloud, " 'Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be, come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me.'"

Jack, standing at Alice's shoulder, gave her a look. "What is it?"

"Oh…" Alice looked at the Crows and chose to ignore Jack. "I see. I am sorry"

The Crows all squawked.

"See what?" Hatter asked and Alice looked over her shoulder at him. He met her eyes.

"Something I think you already knew, Hatter, but maybe you didn't remember it...or didn't want to," she answered. He swallowed but there was no anger in her voice, just resigned sadness.

"I am hoping someone will fill me in at least," Jack grumbled.

Alice squared her shoulders again, trying to look as regal as she could in an oversized leather coat and ragged skirt. "The first Alice is no longer Alice. I am Alice. And I do not want your help in this. I do not order you to help."

She said the odd phrase with such command that the Crows and the men behind her all stared at her. Trying to hold the poise, Alice struggled not to sway on her feet, still ready to collapse as the drugs begged her to sleep.

Reaching out, Alice touched the Crow's shoulder. "Let us go, please. We can help you. Let us help you. In exchange for your help for the first Alice, I want to repay her debt to you, a payment that was denied to you the first time."

The lead Crow made an odd sound in his throat and then leaned his head back. While they watched, a loud bird scream came from his throat, filling the foyer hall with an echo. The Crows beside him parted immediately, forming a long salutatory line. He brought his head back down and stared at Alice.

"For you, Alice, we shall stand down for now, to give you time to do as promised. But if we are requested to the side of the Queen, we will have to join her," he warned.

"Fair enough," Alice answered. She smiled at him and the Crow seemed startled by the gesture, bowing to her lowly after a moment. Alice glanced over her shoulder at a still speechless group of Wonderlanders before she cautiously led the way to the massive doors. The Knave limped behind the group, spitting out blood while he eyed the Crows. They all stood with their heads bent, still as statues and eyes on the marble floor. Still uneasy, he made sure to close the doors tightly behind himself when they left.

Alice took a few steps out onto the front balcony, sucking in the clear and fresh air. Behind her, Charlie was starting to mutter about the cold and how it would rust his armour. Hatter ignored him, his eyes on Alice. Jack watched them both, puzzled by how clearly they understood each other and how Alice had no real fear of Hatter while he was still feeling a bit uneasy around him. It was hard to dismiss the madness that he thought he could still see lingering in Hatter's eyes.

Pushing her dark hair away from her eyes, Alice took in the sight of the Manor grounds with relief. She felt the fresh air start to lose its effect and sighed. She turned her head to the side, seeing that Hatter was still staring at her intently. They all were.

"I'm tired," she murmured before her eyes rolled back into her head. Hatter caught her just before she sagged to the ground. Instead of falling unconscious, she simply drifted asleep despite their demands for her to wake up, one hand going out and clenching hold of the leather armour on Hatter's chest tightly.


	30. Afflictions and Addictions

Archibades decided that, even after his long term of imprisonment, that crushing delicate spirits was still quite amusing to him. Staring out the balcony windows at the city, now frozen in winter yet pulsing with a red glow, he was oddly content with the sight. The city had once hummed with life, whether it was from the trams and trains going through the buildings or the citizens that scurried back and forth through the core, and now it was silent. So wonderfully silent and it made it very easy to hear the movements of the attempted resistance. Those that had once rebelled against the Queen of Hearts were trying to rebuild but every day more and more were being found within the depths of the Underground, far beneath the city.

The many levels of Wonderland City were similar to their own small towns and cities and he was certain that there were many more to find. His Knights found them and crushed them, throwing in the spheres of red mist that choked the lives. It made statues of living creatures, freezing their attempts at rebellion easily, and sometimes it made feral humans of them, torn and agonized. They had found many but he knew that there were more. Now there were only pockets of the city left that he did not control. It was only a matter of time, and he was very patient.

Whether it came to controlling the metropolis of Wonderland or breaking an obstinate female.

He sniffed, eyeing his reflection in the mirror. The glamour he had cast over himself had faded, leaving his face skeletal and rotted. Perhaps that was why the Duchess so resisted him. Running a hand along his chin, he let his borrowed magic seep into his skin and change his face back to its proper form. With a quick tug at his beard, he turned back around into the room. It was large and expansive, decorated with shocking whites and stark reds. He disliked it but he found the girl was easier to control in the familiar setting. Well, relatively. He had given up on coercing her, taken to drugging her so that she could see what she needed to see, but there was still appeal in brute force on occasion.

Such as the last occasion, when she had spat her fury at him and clawed at him instead of lying like a corpse, though now she lay atop the bed like one. He had thought he had broken her completely; she had been so subdued when his Examiner had finished probing her dreams. The fact that she loved Jack Heart was something he knew, but the depth of that love had not been expected nor her treachery to protect it. He had bullied her with it and she had screamed at him, attacking him with a candleholder. Then he had delighted in making her scream. Archibades stroked his beard, electing to change tactics for the remainder of the evening.

Amelia shook, as she lay curled on her side with her clothing in ragged strips around her body. She still tasted blood and she wiped a hand over her mouth to rid herself of the foul taste. Of all the things he did to her, his kiss was the most foul and she could never stand it. He enjoyed bringing her to this room, to torment her with the memory of Jack she thought, but he often had her so drugged that she barely recognized the surroundings. She knew she was drugged, knew he manipulated her, but she was beyond caring. Staring at the wall opposite the bed, she prayed to die.

"I do not like hurting you, my dear," the Red King said as he came to the side of the bed and sat beside her. Amelia said nothing to that, her jaw still swollen from an earlier blow. His hand, rough and cold, trailed down her arm. "But you must learn that fighting me is most unwise. I am your King, after all. I can be kind."

Amelia licked her swollen lips nervously. "I doubt that very much. You had to use stolen magic I gather to steal Jack's throne. So how can you be a king if you are nothing but a shell of power?"

She had braced herself when he had first sat, so when he grabbed her arm in a cruel grip and shoved her onto her back she was ready to fight. Archibades looked down at her, snarling in her face.

"You are nothing but a shell, Duchess. Where is your beauty now?" he snapped. She had lost much of her surface beauty, as battered and bruised as she was. "You have no real beauty. Perhaps this is your true face. A bruised whore set to serve kings on her back."

She flinched as his hands tightened on her wrists. "I am no whore," she answered weakly. He gave a laugh that rang in her ears as he released her wrists and sat up, reaching over to grab the hand mirror from the bed.

"I would beg to differ," the Red King drawled, lifting one hand and trailing it down her neck. "I think Heart would as well. You are a very skilled whore, I imagine, when you realize it."

"Jack doesn't…"

"I don't care what he believes, girl. I have what is his and I will have more, to have my vengeance for when his mother stole my throne from me. I will rule Wonderland and lead into an age of control and fear that will be spoken of for years. Immortality does come rather easily in Wonderland you know and I can achieve it rather easily," he explained. Amelia stared at the wall defiantly and he leaned down, his hand almost squeezing into her windpipe while his mouth brushed her ear. "Even if you do see your Jack Heart before I kill him, do you think he would want you? This battered little whore that has had a better man lying with her."

"He wouldn't think…"

"He is a man, my dear Duchess. Men do not think as women do. He will see your face and always wonder. Perhaps I will keep him alive so he can be tortured for years to come with that knowledge, don't you think?" Archibades asked while he held the mirror across from her face for her. Amelia stared at her reflection with mounting horror, frozen in her place. "For you know, I think you may actually be the right mistress for me after all. Once you rid yourself of this ridiculous infatuation."

Amelia barely heard him. She could only see her face, battered and bruised, one eye now red from a broken blood vessel and her lower lids puffy from constant tears. Her skin, even with the bruises, was developing a mask-like look to it, as if she was having a mould of pink ceramic placed on top of her skin. It was like his touch had started to warp her face to his own desires, freezing her into a frame that was repulsive to her but one he obviously wanted. There was a faded mark like a checkerboard on her cheek that, as she watched, pulsed with red light. Repulsed, Amelia gripped the mirror so hard in her hands that it cracked and began to shatter.

Delighted with her horror, Archibades bent his head close to her face and kissed her temple. When he sat back up, he noticed that the Black Knight Sable had entered the room, standing respectfully near the door.

"What is it?" Archibades demanded, getting to his feet in a swirl of black and red robes. The Black Knight clipped his heels together and lowered his head in a curt bow.

"There have been signs. Jack Heart and his troupe must have made it through the traps of the White Manor. There was a glimmer of light," Sable began and the Red King smiled grimly.

"So they found it. Did you release your men?" he asked.

"There was no need, Sire. **She** was there."

Archibades' smile grew slowly, still grim but now showing obvious delight. "So she is still alive, as I thought I had felt. Excellent. Did you contact her?"

"Yes. The Crows were released and the Cheshire you saw before is at her side," the Black Knight said. "Two of our men were waiting at the Kingdom of Knights when they came through the Taiga. The White Queen travels here."

He hesitated then and Archibades gave him an impatient wave of the hand to continue.

"If I may, sire, it makes me uneasy. Though she was your ally, there is a possible threat here. The Cheshire and she could make formidable foes as well," Sable said.

"I do not fear the White Queen, Sable. I never have. With her strength and magic joined to mine, the control of Wonderland will be assured. Then it shall be as it should have been: the chess game won and the pawns used for entertainment," Archibades said. "What of Jack Heart?"

"Trapped in a rabbit hole. The Crows were left to guard until he is dead and the girl Alice is being drained as we speak," Sable responded. He hesitated again, still feeling the previous threat of the Red King's power. "The Hatter is disappeared, succumbed to madness."

"Interesting and a shame. He would have been an interesting study if he had been contained. I will want Jack Heart retrieved and hung before the citizens of Wonderland once the Queen reaches our palace. It will be a lesson to them," Archibades answered before his mind digest the information that Sable had told him. "The White Queen took the Sceptre? What of the Stone?"

"In her possession as well," Sable answered and the Red King nodded as if it made perfect sense for the White Queen to hold the two things that could destroy him. He laughed then, delighted with the turn of events, and turned back to the windows.

"Then this is going very well, very well indeed," he stated.

Behind him, forgotten and crippled on the bed, Amelia tightened her fingers around the mirror and pried loose several small sharp shards. Licking her lips, she reached into her knotted hair and tucked one of the shards into the thick knots, the others tucking easily into her ripped clothing. The actions exhausted her and she pressed her face into the torn bedding, wishing she could sleep again.

* * *

"She's come this way then. The tracks are obvious through the middle road where the Knight's Kingdom begins," the Knave said.

"And she did not travel light," Jack answered with a distinct tone of annoyance. "We were just lucky to escape as we did."

The Knave coughed. "Lucky that they were able to speak at all. I still don't know what that means, that they would use our language to speak to Alice, but I am not unhappy over it. I'm just thankful we are out of that dreadful place."

Alice woke to their quiet voices as if she were coming from a deep sleep, licking her dry lips. They were just voices at first, unrecognizable and sounding like white noise almost. Her sleep had been dreamless and heavy, so heavy that her body took some time to adjust. Then their voices gradually formed words and sentences and she opened her eyes slowly. The flickering light of a fire for some reason made her smile and she closed her eyes again, burying her head a bit into the warm coat she was cocooned in.

"It's a matter of choosing the right road. There is still a possibility of the Hatter knowing something of the roads. Or the Knight," the Knave said lowly. Alice opened her eyes again, look across the fire to see the two men sitting across from her.

"We'll need to move quickly once we sort this out. I just wish it was easier to make a better plan," Jack said and Alice saw him rub his hands over his face. "I worry that we may be too late."

"Come now. There's always time. Remember that." The Knave's voice dropped lower. "She is fine."

"I can imagine," Jack said. He lifted his head and caught Alice watching him from where she lay. "How are you feeling?"

Alice shrugged as she sat up. "Less likely to drop."

"Good. The Knave made sure that those drugs in your system weren't about to do you harm. You've been asleep for a few hours," Jack said with obvious relief. Alice looked around, seeing Charlie shuffling back and forth from his little shack to the horses. The surroundings were eerily familiar and she glanced at Jack. "We returned to the Kingdom of the Knights and had to cross the way to get to Charlie's camp. You slept the entire way Hatter showed us the way. After that, the Taiga just tossed us out and here we are. Though it tossed us out on the other side, rather than just let us be near Charlie's camp. It is why it took us so long to get here."

"That simple?" Alice asked, confused. Nothing had been that simple in her entire time here. The two men nodded in unison.

"Remarkably so. We found the tracks for the White Queen and her creatures on the middle road. They seem to be moving fast to the City," Jack explained. "She's eager to see the Red King. Something that she is planning and I feel that it is not a social visit."

Alice nodded, slowly standing and stretching her legs. They no longer felt numb from drugs but from the snow and cold air. The fire kept most of it at bay, warming the bottom of her feet just a bit, and she twisted her body left and right to stretch. "Where's Hatter?" she asked when she noticed that he was not in sight at all.

"Went to wash off that Crow paint off of himself and change. Said he felt too…" the Knave struggled to think of the word as he pointed behind her. " 'Posh and freakish'."

Alice snorted and turned to look. Jack cleared his throat. "Alice," he started.

"Hmm?"

"What happened with the Crows?" he asked and she gave him a guileless look that he read through instantly. Alice was clearly not going to tell him, not when she wanted to do something else. He knew her well enough to know that her stubbornness wasn't going to be denied when she wanted to do something. She was already edging to where Hatter had gone and he sighed helplessly. "After you talk to Hatter then."

Before he could change his mind, she was disappearing through the trees and brush. Watching her, Jack shook his head and eyed the Knave. His man coughed harshly, pounding on his chest to clear the cough. The Knave had been quieter than normal and Jack took him in. Nothing had really changed that he could see, the Knave only looking a bit bruised from the fall he had suffered earlier.

Still, Jack was concerned that his servant was hiding something. "You are sure that you are all right?" he asked. The Knave cleared his throat.

"Of course, Sire. I am thinking if we go through the low road to the paths," the Knave began and Jack took the red herring rather than to pry. He looked at where Alice had been sleeping and stared at the ground. His brow furrowed as he realized that the snow where she had been sleeping was completely melted away, leaving only perfect green grass and blue tulip shoots peeking out from the ground.

* * *

Alice trod through the brush, the brittle branches snapping back as she followed the path down to Charlie's makeshift well. She had wanted to tell Jack what was on her mind but what she wanted more was to see Hatter and make sure that he hadn't left her. Physically or mentally that was. There had been no real time in the Manor to reassure herself that he really was the Hatter she remembered. Before she plunged headlong into a battle she wasn't ready for, Alice was determined to clear the air with him. To be certain that his madness was contained, or to find a way in which she could help him.

The watershed came into view through the trees; more of a covered shed that was open at one end than a real stone well. The saddlebags that she and Hatter shared were hung on a tree close by and without thinking she reached up and snagged it from the tree, holding it to her stomach protectively. Maybe if she had something to hold on to, she could kill some of the tension already knotting in her stomach. Never before had she been this nervous to talk to him but as she glanced down at her arm, she knew why she was tense.

Taking a deep breath, she walked around into the shed and stopped a few feet from where Hatter was bent over a half-full trough of water. He had stripped to the waist, oblivious to the cold air around him, and was leaning on his hands as he stared into the water. His hair was standing on its wild ends again, clean of the black grease and starting to dry into its disorderly style again. Unable to stop herself from staring, Alice took in the pale skin of his back to where it fell into the long leather pants he wore from the Crow's uniform. There were new marks on his body that she didn't remember being there before: long green and purple bruising, red scratches on his upper arms. There were still rivulets of water on his back and she followed the beads of water for a moment. The lean strength she knew was in his scrappy body was more apparent as his muscles tightened against the cold, his shoulders flexing like he was tightening his grip on the trough edges. Yet he was just staring into the water, not speaking nor moving, just staring.

Deciding that ogling him was really not the most productive thing to do, Alice cleared her throat and watched as he spun around, nearly sliding on the slick ground around him. Hatter cleared his throat nervously, childishly covering his chest with his arms. Alice moved and sat on an old wobbly stool where he had thrown the rest of the uniform's pieces and his old grey leather coat. She lifted her chin and looked over his face. He had scrubbed clean as well, save for the black lining around his eyes, and there was a faint shadow of stubble on his face. As strange as it was, the familiarity of it made her almost smile. It was odd how a Hatter shaven and with tamed hair made her nervous, while a scrappier, wildier version made her relaxed.

"Alice! You're awake," Hatter sputtered and she nodded, arching a brow at him when he tried to cover more of his chest with his hands.

"I've seen you in considerably less, you know," she pointed out and he glanced down when her eyes trailed over his chest. "Though not quite in clothing like that."

"Seeing as to how it is very cold right now, I would love my old shirt…" Hatter started.

"I think you should stand like that for a bit," Alice answered. "I want to talk to you and maybe it will make you more inclined to talk to me. A bit of cold never hurt anyone."

He eyed her. "You're threatenin' me?"

"Not threatening. Coercing. I've got your clothes, it's freezing out here…it's a negotiation. Like strip poker," Alice answered and he frowned in confusion. She sighed, having forgotten that he only knew the basics about regular poker. "Never mind."

Hatter crossed his arms tighter against his chest, leaning back against the trough casually. Alice stared at him, finally seeing the gash at the top of his forehead and the swelling there. Her eyes widened a bit and he cleared his throat. "So?"

"What happened to you? After you left us?" she asked. "And where did that gash come from?"

"I elected to do what no one else could…I stopped myself," he said with a meaningful glance at one of the ruins as if to give her an example. She sucked in a breath. Hatter crossed his legs at his ankles and looked at the dirt between them. "I know what you're actually wonderin', Alice. I didn't know that that was goin' to happen; I've never felt it that strong. I'm not even sure if it has stopped completely."

"But you knew that there was a threat of it. Why didn't you tell me?" Alice asked, hugging the saddlebag tighter to her stomach. He sighed.

"Some things, Alice, still hurt to remember. I saw my family murdered, lived to forget it and to pray for a time when I would never think about it again. The problem with buryin' memories and secrets is that it comes to the open eventually. That's what my family taught me, to build traps and deceive any who tried to hurt me through my mind. It worked a little too well," he explained. Reaching back, he scratched at the back of his head before ruffling his hair. "I was stupid enough to think that it would never happen. After all, who did I know that could use magic like that?"

Alice frowned at him and he tightened in his grip in his hair. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Alice. I didn't want to leave you, not really, but I couldn't chance that I would hurt you further. But I also couldn't live with myself if you were lost in the Manor. That's why I came back to the Taiga."

"How did you get…"

"I knew what kind of trap the Manor could be, what the White Queen may try," Hatter continued, leading her on with his train of thought. She sighed, nodding for him to continue. "And I let you walk into it. I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I don't expect forgiveness, Alice. Not when I hurt you the way I did."

"She healed me," Alice said, lifting her arm to show him. "I barely feel any pain."

"You know what I mean, Alice. It might not be obvious but it's still there" he said as he looked up. "With the trap sprung, all the memories started to hurt. I knew what she could do, to all of you. Maybe she would have never had the chance if I had been there. My actions nearly destroyed Wonderland years ago and I knew perfectly what I was getting' us into. I owe it to Wonderland to try to help Jack regain his throne. Don't let him know this but I do think he will be a good King."

"What happened, Hatter?" she prodded. "If you don't tell me, then someone will. And likely use it against us."

He sucked in a breath. "Like I said before, my family were servants to the Royals. Different families we worked for now and again. My grandda was the Queen of Hearts' singer before she grew bored with him and had him tortured into becomin' a killer for her. Then she transferred his service to the Whites. He went mad after that and my Da took over."

"So the Tea Shop is just a front…"

"Is in my family, Alice. We ran Tea Shops to access information for many years in the City, same as I do now. My Da became a Messenger as well, so did his friend Haigha. But he grew to hate his work, hate the Royals for what they did to him when they decided to see if his insanity could be used for their own purpose. They tried to turn him into a killer and he resisted. The Queen hated his resistance as he had sworn to serve her. It changed him when they tried to use," Hatter explained.

Alice nodded, not daring to interrupt yet in case he lost his nerve to talk.

"I stole the Royal Sceptre during the Wars…the war lasted a very long time, you know. People were dying and at eight years old I decided that I knew better than my father. I went and bargained with the Queen of Hearts to give it to her, demanding a Royal Pardon. She gave it to me but the pardon only applied to myself. Then the War escalated and more people died, Archibades contained but the Whites held out against her. The White Queen was given word that I had betrayed her, and her daughter, Thyme, came after me. I was eight and she tortured me."

Alice sucked in a breath. "You were eight?"

"Eight," he affirmed. "Do you know what torture is like in Wonderland, in the Taiga? They destroy you through your dreams, Alice. In the case of my family, torture is always through the mind. She tried, very hard, to break through what my father had taught me. Nearly succeeded."

"Your fa…" Alice stopped herself, clearing her throat instead. "I was told that Thyme was murdered."

"She was. By my grandfather when he rescued me. We all escaped to Wonderland City because I foolishly believed in the Hearts' word," Hatter said. "My grandfather was executed by Mad March, who used to be his friend, the moment we stepped into the city. My father was given to the White Queen, who executed him herself after destroying his mind. He loved her, strangely enough, and she destroyed him with it. I've been on my own for years now. Please don't ask me to remember more, Alice. It hurts too much and it's hard to remember clearly without fearing I will go mad. Knowing what happened to my father…what she did to him…that hurts still."

Alice stood and picked up his clothing when he began to shiver. The sight of him shivering touched her and she walked to him, setting the clothes beside him. He stared at his boots still, like a child terrified of being scolded. She could still feel his fear of telling her this, his anticipation that she would rip into him for such secrets. It was hard to imagine doing such a thing now, not when she had hurt him with her lack of trust so much earlier, and now it was stuck between them. Neither had trusted the other, as they should have, still so consumed by the past. Swallowing, she ran her hand up his left arm to his face and he trembled, lowering his head into her hand. Alice pressed closer, looking up at his artfully bland expression.

"You're scared that I'll do that to you. That'll I leave you...hurt you so that you never feel anything but pain and madness," she whispered and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly even when she cupped his cheek. "I'd never do that to you, Hatter. I couldn't."

"I can hurt you, Alice. I wouldn't blame you for bein' tempted to return the favour and I would deserve it," he answered. She shook her head, taking his right hand in hers. The knuckles were cut and bruised and she stroked her thumb over the ridges of his hand.

"Hatter," Alice stopped herself. "I would be lying if I said that you didn't frighten me, that you didn't hurt me. But knowing I couldn't help you hurt just as badly. I may still have some left over feelings for revenge which I will make you cater to when we get back to my apartment."

His eyes opened a bit and he eyed her sceptically.

"But Hatter, I can't do this alone," she finished. She released his hand and dropped her hand from his cheek. He still watched her, trying to read her expression. Hatter still seemed so ready to break, to step back from her that Alice took her own step back.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her heart pounding in her ears and she turned away from him. Then his hand was around her elbow, holding her still for a moment before he turned her around against him. One hand slipped around her waist and he drew her into a hug, his face pressed into her neck. Alice nearly cried out in relief at the embrace, clasping him tightly to her with her arms looped around his neck. She felt the ice-cold of his skin beneath her palms but she still held him close, ignoring the cold for the feel of him strong and alive in her arms. His heart was pounding against her chest through the coat she wore, his breath warm against her ear while his arms fit snugly around her ribs. Alice put a hand to the back of his head and stood up on her toes to hug him tighter. She remembered the first time she had hugged him like this. She had felt his heart pound just as hard then, had felt the same relief to be holding him that she felt now and the same hesitancy to let him go. Now though, there was no question as to why she was holding him like this.

"I love you, Hatter," she managed and she felt him stiffen slightly. He felt ready to pull away and she tightened her hold on him. Like his words to her before, it seemed so simple to say it now but Alice had never been close enough to anyone, beyond her mother, to ever say them. It was making her vulnerable and before she had avoided that as badly as she avoided commitment. With Hatter, she had needed to know that the words, the feeling behind them, weren't the product of being in danger, near death, or at the brink of sex. That she wasn't saying them because it was expected of her, though he certainly had never pressed her.

That she was finding it so easy to believe in them convinced her that she didn't need to be frightened of the words or the feelings.

Hatter seemed to understand that though. His fingers trailed through her hair and he pulled away after a moment, one hand cupping her cheek. He stared down at her and Alice managed to lift her eyes from his collarbone. His own were narrowed slightly when she looked into them before the expression lightened and he smiled at her. The hand cupping her cheek tightened just slightly before he lowered his head and kissed her, his mouth finding hers with ease when she leaned up to return the kiss. It was almost innocent compared to their latest kisses, reminding her of the first time he had kissed her in front of her stunned mother. Then it slowly spiralled in intensity when she slid her hands up to his shoulders and opened her mouth slightly beneath his, her tongue flicking out along his lower lip. Hatter's fingers slid against her skin, deepening the kiss when she tilted her head to the side, his hand cupping the back of her neck and trailing through her long dark hair. Alice tightened her fingers on his shoulders, pressing herself tighter into him.

Then Hatter was pulling away too soon, his hands dropping from her body and she opened her eyes to stare at him. The seriousness in his expression made her lower her hands against his chest, wondering if she had spoken too soon. If her words had been too soon. Did Wonderland have its own rules for love? For speaking of it? Hatter gave her his crooked grin, clearly reading her expression.

"Can I have my shirt back now?" he asked.

"I suppose," she answered playfully as she found his shirt in the mixture of clothing she had set to the side. Hatter chuckled as he pulled the shirt on, still shivering at the cold. Alice looked him over. "What happened to your other pants? Those aren't like you at all."

"Got wet and ripped up. Long story, do not ask how, please," Hatter begged her. "Hoping Jack knows where I can find a spare pair. Crows got something for this leather armour."

"I'm not complaining," Alice, murmured when he swaggered by her to the saddlebag and he turned surprised eyes at her. She had a small half-smile, her eyebrow arched playfully. He eyed her in mock suspicion.

"It's my job to ogle you, Alice, not the other way 'round. I'm not some piece of meat you know," he pointed out and she snorted, not daring to comment on that. "Not exactly comfort minded, these things. They are going the minute I find normal ones. Plus, these get unbearably hot and as much you love my body - and I know you do - I doubt that Jackie boy wants to see me naked."

Alice rolled her eyes and waited patiently for him to redress in his black button-down and grey leather coat. It was remarkable to Alice how easily they slipped into their flirtations but she knew that despite it all they would need to heal from what had happened. She knew that right now their flirting would help absolve some of the strain, but not help the other kinds of tension that she nearly always felt around him. Hatter found his fedora in the bottom of the bag and clucked happily, flinging it into the air. Alice squeaked when he grabbed her arm and hauled her close, spinning her slightly on her heel.

"I wasn't hallucinatin'?" he asked her with a grin and she gave an exasperated sigh.

"I love you." She gave his happy face a fake stern look but his smile contagious. "Is this going to be a new addiction? Hearing me say that over and over again?"

"Most definitely. I might just get a recording of it." Hatter's hat dropped onto his head at a rakish angle and Alice shook her head, not wanting to admit that it was likely to be mutual addiction when he bent his head and kissed her cheek. She led the way out of the watershed, comforted by his presence at her back again.


	31. Mouse Ferry

Charlie muttered to himself as he re-saddled Arthur, pausing occasionally to give his rickety old legs a shake. The horse snorted and looked over his shoulder at Charlie. "Phaeton's ghost, old boy, my backside is likely a mass of blisters and boils now from all of this riding business. I do not like the idea of what it may look like if we ride that hard again," Charlie complained aloud. Arthur snorted again and gave a bob of his head in impatience, rolling the bit between his teeth as if thinking it over. Charlie stretched his legs again and felt his bones creak as he did so.

A Jabberwock roared in the distance and he jumped in his place, his eyes wide as he stared into the trees across from Arthur. The horse flicked its ears forward then back, unconcerned by the sound. The roaring echoed, joined by the whispering of the trees, and Charlie, naturally made cautious from living in the Kingdom of Knights so long, jumped again. He whipped around as fast as he could and yelped in fear. Hatter stood directly behind him, making Charlie jump. The old Knight grabbed at his chest and sucked in a breath.

"Really, Harbinger. Must you do that!" Charlie snapped, breathing hard. Hatter gave him a look, his hat pushed back to reveal his normal puzzled expression when it came to Charlie.

"You all right, Charlie? You seem a bit jumpy, eh."

"Blast it all. First some dark woods, haunted manors, rabbit holes and now Jabberwocks once more! It never ends!" Charlie responded with an exasperated throw of his hands.

Hatter frowned. "Jabberwocks? Still?"

"Those things mate like...like...like..." Charlie stuttered to a halt when he caught Hatter's eye and actually blushed. "Anyway, what is it?"

Still eyeing him, Hatter nodded back at the campfire. "Come on. We're havin' a chat about some brilliant plan that the Cards have thought up."

He walked off, leaving Charlie to follow, and rubbed at his temples in mild irritation. Behind him, Charlie heard his stomach rumble and shushed it. Sitting before the campfire, Jack and the Knave had carved a map of the City in the dirt and snow. Hatter was mildly impressed by Jack's ability: the map was perfect and detailed even in the dirt. He took a seat beside Alice and stretched his legs out before himself. She was staring, puzzled, at the map.

Certain he had an audience, Jack cleared his throat. "The Knave tracked the White Queen's entourage coming through this area. Headed to Wonderland City. Presumably to join the Red King."

"Since she has the Sceptre...this can only spell trouble," Alice commented, bringing her knees close to her chest and resting her chin on top of them.

"Exactly. When we were trapped, we were able to hear just pieces of what was planned. All we can imagine is that they are going to enslave Wonderland. When that happens...who is to know if they will be content with that," the Knave said when Jack stayed silent.

"We could go Underground. Which will be a treat," Hatter said sarcastically. "Guaranteed they haven't found every nook in the City. Bound to find some people unaffected. I'm guessin'."

"Underground?" Alice asked, glancing at Jack. He stared back at her and it was making her uncomfortable.

"Lower city. Some of it is beneath the water. Massive tunnels and mazes of pipes. Supports the city itself and it is like another world so to speak. Well, somewhat. People there are either dirt poor or likely exiled from the old Queen's rule," Hatter explained for her. He saw her discomfort and followed her eyes to where Jack was staring. Even knowing Alice's love for him, Hatter found his temper flaring jealously. "Oi! Jackie boy. What is the point of that? Figured you'd ogle her?"

Jack jerked a bit but his eyes never left the young woman. "Alice," he said in a deadly low voice, "where is the necklace I gave you? The one the Ring was on?"

Her hand flew to her throat beneath the shirt and coat and she flipped her dark hair out of the way. They all stared at her, watching the way she fidgeted and Hatter saw that her neck was bare. Jack groaned and put his head into his hands.

"How could this have happened?" he whispered to himself.

"They probably took it when you were drugged," Hatter said to Alice and she nodded.

"But..."

"Then it has all been for nothing!" Jack explained as he stood and viciously kicked a piece of kindling into the fire, sending up a spray of sparks. "The whole damn attempt is now lost completely."

Hatter and Charlie exchanged a look, neither daring to speak. Jack turned around from them all to hide his face, struggling to maintain his temper and despair. The Knave stood and put his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Alice cleared her throat again.

"No it hasn't," she said. "Please give me some credit."

"Unless we have an alternative for the Stone, then there is no hope," Jack snapped over his shoulder. "The Sceptre's real value, the chance to use it against the Red King, is lost."

"We don't need an alternative." They all turned to look at her again and Alice gave a smile. "You asked me to keep it safe, Jack. So I put it in the safest place I could think of," she explained.

She turned to her left, staring at Hatter. He shot her a puzzled look and she smiled back, one hand slipping into his coat pocket. Ignoring his confusion, Alice felt through his pockets, feeling the various things like medallions, string and cards he kept there, and rolled the ring into her palm. She pulled it back out and held the Stone of Wonderland out.

"Oh...thank Wonderland," the Knave said with a roll of his eyes to the sky. Alice stood and reached out to Jack, handing him the delicate ring. He stared at it, confused.

"I was worried that it was too obvious that I had the ring, you know. I would have guessed that I had it, you know, if I were someone looking for it," Alice said. "So I took the key ring that held the key that unlocked Chesh. I exchanged the rings- they were similar in weight- back at the Mock Turtle Inn. When we were riding, I hid it in Hatter's pocket when he and I stopped. He's the one person you would never ask."

Jack glanced at the stupefied Hatter, realizing that the young man had not known about this plan. "And if he had gone completely mad and we lost him?"

"I didn't think that far ahead, but I knew I would find him even if he did run off," Alice answered. "He was the one person I knew that would keep it safe, even if he didn't realize he had it."

Hatter was oddly touched by her defensive tone to Jack, even more so by the trust she had in him to hold such a valuable artifact. He reached out and touched her hand, feeling her slip her fingers into his as she sat back down. Jack opened his mouth to say something but Hatter glared at him, warning him not to step too far.

"Well...that is cleared up then," the Knave said firmly. "We were going to discuss the way in."

"What is the plan, exactly?" Hatter asked, tipping his head back a bit. "Just go in, guns a blazin' and shoutin' war cries?"

"The was once your idea of a brilliant plan, as I recall," Jack answered dryly, earning a look from Hatter. "No. We need to get a chance to steal back the Sceptre. A way to distract the Red King from his plans and engage the Sceptre and the Stone."

"And after that?" Hatter prompted, speaking for the others.

"We improvise," the Knave said. "We are going by legends, as you recall. It is supposed to drain him of his powers or destroy him."

"My mother always claimed that she could have destroyed him but restrained herself, however..." Jack broke off for a moment. "I do think she was lying."

"Then it's possible that she didn't really know how to use it," Alice said.

"Ancient artifacts such as those would be rather difficult," Charlie chipped in and Alice glanced at Hatter, asking the question with her eyes. He shook his head slightly, letting her know that he wasn't sure.

"What if the White Queen does know how to use it?" the Knave asked, thinking aloud it seemed.

"The better question is why she is going to the Red King," Jack answered. "He wouldn't be able to use it either."

"She is likely going to share power," the Knave said but Alice shook her head.

"I don't think so..." She glanced at the man beside her. Hatter was rubbing his hands together, his eyes narrow and dark as he looked into the fire. "Hatter?"

He clasped his hands together, squeezing tightly. "I think it is likely that she stole Alice's gryphon mark," he blurted out.

"But...if she stole that it would mean that she tried to steal Alice's glow," Charlie said, looking at Alice. "I mean no offense, my dear, but if she did steal your mark and your glow then you would be dead. Oysters..."

"In old legends," the Knave started, "when the light struck an Oyster it would manifest their strengths into a mark, their power, imaginations, emotions...all of it. When those marks were stolen, the power was gone. In essence...the Oyster lost themselves. It is why the mark doesn't leave you until you go back to your world, normally."

Hatter arched a brow at Alice and gave his head a nod to her hip. She swallowed and put her hand to her hip.

"I've got two marks," Alice said.

"Two?" Jack asked and she nodded.

"She does, thanks to that flashlight happy technician of Jack's. Second is on her waist," Hatter chipped in, earning a dig in the ribs from Alice's elbow. "What I was getting at is that I believe she tried to steal Alice's glow and did steal her mark to use the Sceptre. The Sceptre and the Stone were owned by an Oyster, remember? The glow and the mark would be from an Oyster."

"Don't be ridiculous," the Knave scoffed and Jack nodded, starting to pace around the drawn map. He gestured about impatiently.

"Only Oysters have the ability to draw any sort of power or glow from a mark. It is why the Red King's magic is warped, I think: because he cannot fully control it and he was renowned for trying to kill Oysters who slipped through into Wonderland. Whatever magic he stole or was given is not his own. When it comes to the Sceptre, its real use is no good to Wonderlanders. My mother likely never controlled the power," Jack said. "No one ever has and to try is to commit a form of suicide if you aren't meant to."

They were all silent for a moment, Alice looking at Hatter suspiciously. He was quiet again, his jaw tight and almost ticking with the tension. "So it is true then," Alice whispered.

"What? What is?" Charlie asked curiously. Alice tightened her fingers around Hatter's and he looked at her. They stared at each other for a long time, Hatter's eyes apologetic and Alice's astonished. Whatever passed between them was silent and Alice opened her mouth to speak. But no sound came, Hatter giving her a shake of his head.

It was the Knave who spoke, clearing his throat impatiently. "This doesn't solve the matter of what we should be doing," the Knave suddenly snapped before he began to cough harshly. Charlie patted him on the back, both Jack and Hatter noticing how the pale man flinched at the action. The Knave recovered and cleared his throat again. "We need to see the damage, plot a course of action into Wonderland City."

"I agree," Jack said. "Time for story telling when we have this plotted."

"Well," Hatter said, scratching the back of his neck. "The Underground entrance is on the other side of the Lake. It would be a matter of getting there and it would be a hard ride that would take us some time."

"Four hours hard ride just to reach the shore line, it would be another six to go all the way around to the Tunnel entrance and even then that would be if we took the Shore Road. It's incredibly risky," the Knave said as he drew lines on the dirt map. Jack nodded and Hatter brushed his hand over his mouth. He gave a low whistle.

"The Mouse Line." He looked at Jack. "Were you still going ahead with that wide-reachin' plan of shuttin' down the decrepit ferries?"

"Most," Jack admitted and at Alice's confused frown he gave a wave of his hand. "Much like your world, Alice, it is an environmental situation. The old things were polluting the rivers. Three or four still run, owned by members of the same family."

"If the Mouse Family Ferries are still running, we can get across and fast. The one we used to get out of the city is too dangerous but there is one nearer to the river that goes down into the lake," Hatter said in excitement but Alice shook her head.

"A ferry across the water? Isn't that more obvious?" she asked and he grinned.

"Nope. Let's just say they use the weather to their advantage and Wonderland knows how they do it."

The Knave shrugged. "It's our only choice, sire."

"Then let's do it," Jack said. "We can ride out immediately and get to the ferry. We need to move fast."

* * *

Mouse Family Ferries was an old business, dispersed throughout Wonderland in almost every waterway that could be found. Named for the old man who had started the business, it had long since seen its time and gone the way of a dying breed of Wonderland novelty. The ferries had become useful to smugglers and resistance fighters in more recent times. When it came to the greater populace though, Scarabs were more popular now as were personal horses and carriages. The ferries normally stayed close to the city but the one stationed near the river was the oldest and run by the old owner, affectionately called Toby Mouse for lack of any original names.

Even this explanation hadn't given Alice enough preparation to avoid giving the strange dilapidated ferry a dismayed look. The entire thing looked like a hunk of scrap wood in her opinion. It was large enough to hold the horses with a wide covered shelter in the middle of its deck but it looked barely safe enough to hold one person, let alone five horses and five people. Hatter, seeing her face, hid his own smile and cleared his throat as he rode Guinevere beside her to the dock.

" 'member, Alice. It ain't the outside that counts," he said philosophically. She snorted, not even looking at him.

"I'll bear that in mind if we don't sink," she muttered, watching as a chunk of a railing fell into the water. The ferry was bobbing unevenly, rocking when a bird landed on its roof as if the weight of the bird was too much. Alice glanced behind them along the shore of the river, seeing a tiny hut tucked neatly into the brush. Nearby there was a small barn, an old donkey eyeing them over the fence of a paddock made into the trees. "Why didn't I ever see this when I rode through here with you all?"

"You weren't meant to," a man shouted from inside the ferry cabin near the bow of the ship. They all looked to see a long shotgun pointed out of a broken window at Hatter. Hatter gave an annoyed groan and rolled his eyes to the sky. "State your business and then sod off."

"Come on now, Toby, that's no way to speak to friends," Hatter scolded and the man opened the cabin's rickety door a bit. He peered out at them from across the dock, his long beaky nose twitching. Alice thought that he reminded her of Ratty,at least by the way his eyes darted over them quickly. His face was rounder and his eyes tiny and black though, staring at each of them in turn with uncommon directness. He was dressed like Ratty even, an oily looking green slicker and a floppy hatter on his head to cover his bald head.

"Grey Hatta?" he asked, squinting his already tiny eyes at Hatter. The young man flinched just slightly and Toby shook his head. "Nope. You're young Hatter, as I recall. Haven't seen you since you smuggled in that quadrille of singing lobsters to sell."

Hatter grinned. "Been a while, yeah. They did end up being boiled you know. Sad but true."

"What do you want?" Toby asked, raising the gun again, swinging it back and forth rapidly. He looked like a child playing with a toy gun, unable to hold it still. Alice wasn't even sure if it was loaded. "Who're they?"

"Some friends. We need to get to the Tunnel entrance."

Toby lowered the gun a bit. "Dangerous time to cross. I've seen what's roaming about. They lookin' for you?"

"Sort of," Hatter admitted. "I'd appreciate the favour you know."

"Well, it would be suiting with my philanthropy to do you a favour," Toby admitted and Hatter smiled, cueing Guinevere forward. The moment the mare took a step onto the rickety dock Toby had his shotgun raised at Hatter again. The young man stopped smiling and raised his hands in the air.

"Come on, Tob."

"Right hand where I can see it, you. I want to know what you're payin' me first," Toby insisted, eyeing the others nervously. Jack cleared his throat, riding to Hatter's side.

"The thanks of the King of Wonderland and I would reward you handsomely," he said and Toby laughed. Laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach and Jack gave Hatter a look, who rolled his eyes as if to say 'What did you expect? Speaking like that'.

"What makes you think you're a king? You're all dirty and bruised. No dignity about you. Must be the worst king I've seen since that old King of Hearts," Toby said.

"Toby," Hatter warned when he noticed Jack's lips form a thin line in response. "Manners."

" 'sides, what use do I have for a King's reward out here? I live in the river and I've no use for royal thanks," Toby pointed out, ignoring Hatter. "Give me something I can use, like that girl there. I need a maid."

He gave Alice a lecherous look that repulsed her instantly. Hatter followed his eyes and he clenched his jaw. "She ain't for sale. I already paid a good price for her," Hatter said, remembering the expensive Emotion he had paid to get her away from Ratty. Not an unpleasant memory but she thought quite the opposite.

"Shut up," Alice snapped, glaring daggers at him. Hatter gave her an innocent look. "I'm not for sale to anyone."

Toby pouted in thought, his eyes drifting down. "Well. My grandson is a wee thing, would likely love a fine horse like that."

Alice glanced down at her horse's ears. "You want a horse?"

"I've got a good dozen of un-birthday's to make up for. He'd love it, I know. He's twelve you know, already runnin' a ferry on his own but he needs to play and be a kid," Toby explained and Jack remembered the small boy that had helped them on his ferry. If it was the same child, then the elder Mouse had a very good point. Glancing at Alice, he raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed, dismounting from her horse.

"I suppose."

Toby's face lit up and he scuttled forward to take the horse's reins from her. Alice wrinkled her nose at the smell of him, salt and rancid sweat, but he ignored her, leading the horse over into his barn. Frowning, Alice fidgeted and crossed her arms over her chest. The donkey hee-hawed at the horse and they all disappeared into the barn again. The rest of the men dismounted and Charlie stretched himself, doing a series of lunges that made Hatter give him a look.

"It is very important to stay limber, Hatter. Just in case," he instructed before he straightened and sniffed in distaste at the ferry. "Boats. As I recall, I do get quite sea sick."

The Knave took a step away from him discreetly. "Wonderful."

Toby came back out at an awkward jog, jingling a set of keys in his tiny hand. "Well, that's all set. Get those things onto the ferry, will you? We need to get out before the storm."

Alice looked up at the clear sky as she followed the others onto the shaky ferry. "What storm?"

Toby ignored her question, going to the controls of his ship after untying the dock knot. He unlocked a cupboard beneath the wheel and fished out a small jar labelled: 'Don't Drink'. Alice watched him, fascinated, as he swirled it around so that the liquid turned an odd grey and then shook the jar hard. Behind her, the horses were tied to the stronger pieces of railing and Hatter was instructing the other men to stay inside the centre of the ferry shelter. He pulled Alice back with them beneath the overhang. It was roomy enough, running the length of the ferry and hiding from the sun, but Alice stayed near the entrance to watch the ferryman. Toby turned a key in his ignition, the rattling engine coming to life and the ferry started to chug slowly, edging down the river. It wasn't far to the lake and Toby simply steered the ship with one hand while shaking the jar in his other hand. Looking at the forest around them, Alice saw that the sky was still as bright as ever. Not a cloud. When the lake came into view, Toby let go of the wheel.

"What storm?" Alice repeated when he went to the edge of the ferry with the jar.

"The one I'm about to start. Fun thing this, but I suggest that you try to keep out of the rain."

"There's not a cloud in the..." Alice started and closed her mouth when the jar in Toby's hand began to shake on its own, the water within bubbling frantically. Toby leaned over the railing and stuck his tongue to the side of his mouth as he uncapped the jar and then tipped it just slightly. Two drops fell from the jar into the lake water.

The ferry suddenly began to rock, grey clouds gathering overhead with stunning speed. Jack, Charlie and the Knave grabbed hold of the shelter sides, Jack and Charlie both going a strange shade of green as the waves began to rock the boat. Bewildered, Alice looked up at the darkening sky and fell into Hatter when the ferry pitched forward. He didn't seem to notice the growing waves, grinning like a fool as he pointed over Alice's shoulder. She looked over it and gasped, holding onto his arms as he watched the rain and large waves coming directly for them. Opening her mouth to cry out, Alice nearly swallowed a lungful of lake water when a wave crashed into the side of the boat before Hatter had a chance to shut the shelter doors.

* * *

The ferry moved slowly in the middle of the storm, which raged violently around them yet not once did the ferry begin to turn over or show signs of falling apart. They were all rather surprised it didn't; the ferry seemed to have become a bit worse when it came to dilapidated railings and rotted wood but it was holding together. The darkness outside hid the shore from sight but Toby steered easily as if he knew where he was going even blind. The lanterns overhead were swinging slowly, the light dimming and then brightening as the wind blew about them. As they overcame their unease about the state of the ferry, the Knave and Charlie were both sitting closer to Toby, Charlie arguing good-naturedly about the lake weather. Jack was still a bit green, leaning on the guard rail between the centre shelter and the horses.

But he was watching Alice and Hatter, more on their own in the one side of the shelter. Alice was asleep again, having been persuaded to sleep by the Knave when they had noticed her groggy appearance and how badly she was taking the rolling motion of the ferry. Her head was resting against Hatter's thigh, his own legs stretched out as he hummed to himself. He seemed to enjoy the movement of the ship, one hand resting on Alice's arm while she slept. Jack pushed off from the railing and made his way carefully down to them, hearing his boots and socks squelch with each step, coming to sit beside Hatter.

Hatter looked at him warily but Jack gave him a mild smile, looking out into the storming weather. Deciding to look away, Hatter looked down at Alice's sleeping head and shifted his leg just a bit so that she rested more comfortably. She murmured in her sleep and he smiled, relaxing back into his seat.

"What is it, Jackie boy? You're never one to sit near me," Hatter said lowly. Jack looked over at him, electing to ignore Hatter's choice of nickname.

"I...I was wrong to misjudge your feelings for Alice, Hatter, or her trust in you. You saved my life, getting me out of that rabbit hole, when you could have left us to die," Jack answered, keeping his voice soft so not to wake Alice.

"I am rather trustworthy, you know. When I'm not bein' accused of things," Hatter said matter of factly. "But you didn't come here to tell me that. Something is bothering you."

Jack looked down at Alice's head and took a breath. He was never one for asking for things nor for apologizing, and he doubted Hatter would make it easy. "I was hoping that you, of all people, would help me understand," he whispered. Hatter looked over at him, meeting Jack's cool eyes.

"Understand?"

"I did love Alice, Hatter, despite what you think," Jack explained, holding up a hand to silence the younger man. "It was like the time I had stolen the emotions from my mother in my youth. Love, lust...that time let me see what they were like. Yet I was so wrapped up in my plans, my schemes...that I wonder if I was caught up in my act. The longer I spent away from her, the longer I wondered if I realized what emotions are. You were likely raised, as I was, to ignore emotions. The curse of trying to save Wonderland."

"So yeah?"

"How did you know you loved her? I can tell it in your eyes, the way you've been protecting her. I still doubted myself, even when I told her those words. Now it's..." he paused and Hatter stiffened, shutting his eyes but opening them when Jack sighed. "Distant. She's my friend now...all she could be now when I see her look at you."

"We don't feel emotion normally, I'll give you that," Hatter agreed softly. He looked over at Jack. "Especially when you deal with false emotions like I did. Emotion Drops have nothing on the real thing I've learned."

He looked down at Alice's face and Jack watched the way the normally cocksure young man softened. Hatter spent much of his time guarding himself that this was one of the few times he saw Hatter unguarded.

"When Alice left the first time...I thought of nothing else but finding her, find the way to get back to her. When I found her, saw her for the first time alive and breathing in her world, I thought my heart would burst. I've never felt that strongly before, Jack, and strangely, it hasn't stopped."

"Neither have I...and the more I realize what the training my mother forced upon me has done...the more I believe that I won't," Jack answered, thoughts drifting over the six months. Hatter, long used to reading people, eyed the King with an arched brow.

"You keep tellin' yourself that," he grumbled good-naturedly. He felt a strange kinship with his old foe for Alice in that moment, though he would deny it to the grave. They had both been raised to do everything for the greater good, to ignore emotion and what it could bring. So when strong emotion came into play, they were both nearly lost.

Jack cleared his throat and stood. "When this is over, if we recover Wonderland, I'll try to find a way to repay your saving of my life, Hatter."

He said it in the curt, blunt way only a King could before staggering slowly back to the other men. Hatter watched him, more than a little confused as to the turn of the conversation before giving a shrug.

"He's in love with her," Alice said from his lap and he looked down at her.

"You've been awake all this time?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm."

"Eaves-droppin' is a sin, my grandfather used to say," Hatter scolded with a smile.

"Only if I hear something bad," Alice answered, pressing her cheek against his leg before sitting up and stifling a yawn. Hatter watched her in amusement. Alice made a face at the storm outside of the ferry. "Men. It doesn't matter where you are from..."

"Blind to love, eh?" Hatter rumbled as he pushed his hat back a bit to look at her.

"Incredibly." She turned her head and smiled at him. "But you do have your good sides. Jack is just so caught up with being the cold and distant king he was raised to be."

"Typical royal," Hatter muttered and she nudged him. He gave her a false grin. "But lovely fellow!"

Alice sighed and slid close to him, pressing herself against his warmth. "I just hope we can save Wonderland in time for him to become the King you believe he can be."

"Stranger things have happened," Hatter answered as he looked out at the storm again. He squinted his eyes, seeing the vague outline of a low bridge. "We're coming close to the city. Get your coat. We'll be gettin' off this old thing fast and into the city even faster."

As he spoke, Toby steered the ferry beneath the shelter of the bridge and promptly banged it into the support beams holding the metal bridge up from the water.


	32. The Pawn's Promotion

"I think I am getting very sick of tunnels," Jack said as he rode his horse ahead of the others. He was trying to keep the mood light but there was no way to really dispel the gathering tension. It was hard to find humour when running to save a kingdom that grew darker with each passing hour. They had travelled through the very first of the tunnels for well over a day and night, breaking when the mood had suit them.

The tunnel was a piece of the massive underground sewers, close to the surface of the water but just hidden enough that it was nearly invisible. The ground was solid and coated in soft dirt and grasses, the walls solid concrete strewn with vines and brush. The only light came from the blue and red lanterns that lit the tunnel in a staggered fashion, the glow never wavering from them. They had been put in their places years ago and would never burn out, though no one knew how.

"You and me both," the Knave answered. The Underground Tunnel ran many different ways but at Hatter's insistence, they were headed back to his Tea Shop. He had disappeared for a moment after finding the way into the tunnel to 'scout' for anyone following them but Jack had heard him talking to himself and whistling away again. He had joined them, content that no one was following. According to him, they could enter another way into the Underground that was kept well hidden. Jack had his suspicions that Hatter wanted to see how his business survived but he could not begrudge the younger man that. There had been many people who had been inside of the Tea Shop when Jack had gone to find Hatter and if the Red King had struck there, then there would be many people changed. Jack needed, if anything, a few moments by himself to gather his wits. He knew Wonderland , the upper levels of it, like the back of his hand, and he had to plan to get them into the City. At the very least, to try to find a way to steal the Sceptre back. To try to find a moment in which he could destroy the Red King and regain his kingdom.

Jack, strangely, felt no greed. It was not a matter of pride and possession to regain Wonderland, but of genuine distress for his people. Unlike his mother, Jack felt incredible responsibility for all of Wonderland and had had such vast plans. Such aspirations. Now, he was fighting for a chance to simply have a chance to save his world. To save those he cared for and felt such guilt over. When Jack looked over at the Knave, saw his pale face tightened in a mixture of pain and sadness, the guilt only burned deeper.

"Go left," Hatter called out from the rear as he watched Jack's concentration waver for a moment. He knew the way from here, it was easy to find considering the many times he had had to use the tunnel. The horses had calmed somewhat, the nervous way they walked still showing how they felt about being so deep beneath the water in a massive tunnel. Guinevere though was walking with her usual obedience to Hatter's cues, snorting to herself. Charlie was humming away, unconcerned with this new environment. He never worried that often about strange places.

Behind Hatter, Alice sighed, shifting her weight a bit. Riding on the back of a horse had its uncomfortable moments and she was certainly having to adjust. Her still damp hair and clothing, splashed by the waves of the ferry, made the ride increasingly cold and uncomfortable. Hatter had pulled her up with him and they had not spoken since the ferry. She tightened her fingers on the back of the saddle and stared at the back of his head. It was strange that they had resumed their comfort in one another's presence. If it weren't for the healing gash on his head, the past days may have never happened. Hatter was talking to himself again, murmuring about which way to go and how long had it been since he had been in this area.

Alice was one who found the long journey interesting, even when it became tiring. Constant lessons in the history of Wonderland were gently extracted from the four men, each varied and interesting. Jack and the Knave had refined views of history, knew the political and religious views from the viewpoint of aristocrats. Charlie was much more into the mythology and magical side of things, while Hatter pleaded ignorance of it all. But Alice found, riding with him and sitting close to him during their breaks, that he knew another side to Wonderland. The strange and beautiful side that was as dangerous as it was fascinating. They whispered back and forth on Guinevere as they rode, her asking him questions and him answering as best as he could. He told her of the recreation of Wonderland, the caucus races and the madcap croquet games that sounded fun yet violent. She had learned from Charlie about the way Wonderlanders believed in magic despite the Queen of Heart's attempts to outlaw it and Alice discovered that even Hatter believed in magic. He had been staring at his right hand at that time and she wondered if maybe he had been touched by magic.

This idea that she could have magic was rather terrifying. No one really explained it to her. Not even Hatter.

Alice had noticed that he was talking to himself more. Not in a loud or boisterous way, nothing to make her fear, but just in his low voice that meant nothing. She was more aware of him now though, able to read when something was bothering him at the same time he felt it. Seeing his fingers tap on his thigh, Alice pulled herself up closer behind him, pressing into his back and gently wrapping her arms around his waist. Embracing him the way she would have a favourite pillow, she rested her cheek against his back and closed her eyes, breathing in and out with him.

It was a few minutes before Hatter realized what she had done, so lost in thought as he was in regards to where they were going. There were a few more turns, then it would be straight up and into the lower ledges where they could hide the horses and make their way to the Shop. A reprieve maybe, a chance to find what possible way there was to help Jack. What could have happened to his staff and friends was still bothering him. The Tea Shop wasn't exactly the most hidden of places in Wonderland and he had no doubt what may have happened, the potential destruction. It was his home though and he intended to find out. Hatter called out another left hand turn and then felt Alice's arms squeeze his abdomen and his concentration was gone.

Her legs bumped his as they swayed with Guinevere's movement and Hatter felt her fingers loosen just a bit. He glanced over his shoulder, his cheek brushing the top of her head but her face was pressed sideways against his shoulder. Then her fingers slid beneath his coat, touching him more intimately against his stomach and he tensed, not with fear but with astonishment at his reaction to her. Whether she was doing it innocently or not he couldn't tell. If she was trying to seduce him on horseback, she was doing a very very good job just being cuddled up close behind him. He could feel her body pressed against his back, the softness of her curves moving in time with Guinevere's motion, her breathing matching his, and he swallowed hard. He reached down with a hand and touched her fingers, interlacing his through hers. Alice's fingers squeezed his and he debated moving her hand from his shirt, to keep his concentration.

Temptation was too strong and he simply held her hand close against his stomach, enjoying her gentle touch. He cleared his throat roughly and felt her body press against his even tighter, until he was certain he could feel her heartbeat against his back. "You know," he began, having to clear his throat again when he heard the high pitch in his voice, "I don't think you're as innocent as you're trying to be."

"Of course I am," she whispered back but he could almost hear the smile she had. He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand and felt her hands shift against him. Alice's fingers were still icy cold beneath his hand and he frowned at the feel of it, starting to worry. She had always been so warm to him, so alive; he had often relished holding her because of the very warmth and life she would glow with, a feeling he would absorb with greed and delight. It was like cupping a warm cup of tea. Now she felt...well...like how he sometimes felt. Cold. Occasionally distant.

He didn't like that change.

Hatter shook those forbidding thoughts from his head and grinned when her hand drifted through his shirt and touched his bare skin. Definitely not innocent, and there was no way he would really complain about it. "You keep that up, Alice, you may find yourself on the dirt," he said lowly, eyes on the others.

"Oh?" Her voice sounded teasing and he glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a very serious look.

"I think Guinevere is a bit jealous of me," he said with mocking severity. Guinevere cocked an ear back and gave a loud blasting snort. Alice pressed her mouth against his back to hide the giggle.

"I think I could handle some competition," she said.

"I don't know. The old girl does have my heart," he answered before reaching out and giving Guinevere a scratch on her neck. Alice leaned her head back to stare at the back of his head and she slid her roaming hand up along his stomach, running it over his waistband. Her fingertips grazed the sensitive skin just above the waistband and she clicked her tongue.

"Well, that's a shame," Alice answered. "I don't like the idea of you thinking of a horse when I touch you. And I did plan to touch you, you know, when the moment was right. Quite a bit."

He choked loudly at the huskiness in her voice, hearing the desire that was as strong as his, and the Knave glanced over his shoulder at them. Through the dimness of the tunnel, Hatter could see his suspicious expression and grinned reassuringly. He waited until the Knave turned around before he reined Guinevere to a halt. He half turned in his saddle, leaning heavily on the pommel of the saddle to hold himself halfway. Alice had a smug expression and he dropped Guinevere's reins on her neck, unable to resist. He leaned forward, meeting Alice halfway, and kissed her. Kissed her and felt that unexplainable rush in his body that begged him to tell the others to ride ahead and press her down into the floor of the tunnel. Press her down and relearn what it meant to love her, to feel her body comfort his. Alice's eager response, her fingers still cool against his waistband, was tempting him as well. Her head tilted to the side, her lips parting beneath his. He leaned in closer, deepening the kiss with his tongue to taste her. Her tongue met his and she leaned up from Guinevere's back with her thighs to push up against him, her body braced and warm against his. He could feel the way she was reacting to him, feel the way he was unable to stop himself from tasting her even in this dim tunnel while they rode into certain danger.

Alice broke away first, staring at him with wide eyes as her chest heaved for hair. Beneath them, Guinevere gave an annoyed shake of her head and stamped a foot. Hatter flicked his tongue across his lips and breathed out hard, feeling her breath against his lips and inhaling it like pure oxygen. "I would give anythin'," he said, "for this not to be a tunnel. To be somewhere a bit not so exposed."

"Why? I was just wanting to make sure I wasn't falling off of Guinevere," Alice said innocently. "You didn't have to kiss me. I didn't ask for you to kiss me."

"Alice," Hatter ground out, "practically every time I look at you begs for me to kiss you."

Alice laughed, knowing what her teasing was doing to him. "Well, you misread me. It wasn't my first idea to kiss you back but you did seem to need some help with the kiss."

He glared at her. "Are you tryin' to seduce me on horseback?" he asked and the false innocence darkened to mischief.

"Are you complaining?" she asked back and Hatter swallowed the growing lump in his throat. It was a struggle to keep his balance, stare at that inviting mouth, and keep an ear out for the others who may turn around any moment to see them.

"Not exactly."

Alice tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Good. Can we keep riding then?"

As if hearing her, Guinevere started off again and Hatter had to sit back in his saddle. Alice's body stayed against his, secure from falling once more. "I'm going back on my previous statements, the ones where I ever suggested you were the most angelic and innocent of all. Completely back on them. You are evil, woman. Pure evil."

"Is that a compliment?" she asked. This retreat into their comfortable tension reassured her that even with the strangeness to him, with the change in her, that they could continue on through it.

"A torturous one. I'm thinkin' a trip to the Hospital of Dreams won't even cure me from this."

"Please. I am no more evil than the man who tried to seduce me in a tea shop on his table," Alice whispered back, flirting easily with him. The memory of it, of destroying several good tea cups and pots in favour of having Alice set on his table instead of them, was worth remembering and Hatter grinned like a fool for a moment before he remembered how they had been interrupted that time.

"I still intend to finish that, Alice, and this time the door is locked. I am going to have to get some revenge for what you've started here," Hatter threatened and her fingers gave his waistband a hard snap that made him yelp when the leather bit into his skin. Alice grinned at the back of his head, no longer feeling as cold.

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

The White Queen strode with the nobility she had been born with through the Heart Palace building. It had once been the palace the Hearts used years before the Wars and had been refinished from what she could tell. Still the stark colours that the Hearts had loved and decorated with frequently remained, the odd mixture of cold interiors and open spaces familiar. The White Queen was not surprised by it but she did dislike it still after all these years.

The red trails of mist that ran down the walls now were no better improvement in her mind. Much better the ice of winter or some good fog to soften the place. Archibades, like his ancestors, had once lived in the Kingdom of Knights but with his power now he was trying to change this Heart Palace to his own ideals. With a distasteful sniff, she raised a hand and let her own power dissipate the strange red mists to reveal the pristine interior of the palace. Much better.

Behind her, Chesh was looking about himself warily though the Crow Guard were their usual stoic selves. They surrounded her as they strode deeper and deeper through the palace, throwing doors open this way and that, following the stairs to the interior of the palace, where the Royal Apartments would be.

They came to the central apartment, likely Jack Heart's own rooms. The white painted doors were guarded by a pair of Knights standing shoulder to shoulder. They were clad in red armour but the hideous nature of their heads made them monstrous. They had been changed from men completely, their equine heads made terrible by the tiny fangs and reddened eyes. The checkerboard that decorated their armour made it clear that they were loyal to the Red King. These Knights were made to be an intimidating sight.

The White Queen gave a smirk as she continued in her quick stride, almost seeming to fly with the speed in which she moved. She glanced at the door and then snapped her fingers at the two Crows nearest to her. They flew forward and when the Knights went to meet them she snapped her fingers again, freezing them in their place. The Crows opened the doors for her just in time as she continued her quick pace, Chesh at her shoulder. The Crows behind her gathered in a straight line, obeying her silent command to wait.

Archibades and a tall black-clad Knight were standing before a holographic map of Wonderland City, the Red King's long fingers curled in the air as he circled. It was focussed on the lower levels of the city, just above the water, and the map whirled dizzyingly fast. They were both staring at the map so intently that they did not see the White Queen until she stood across from them with her arms folded across her chest. Archibades lifted his head and met her eyes.

"Archibades," she said by way of greeting. His eyes roamed over her for a moment, one brow arched as he took her in.

"Your Majesty," he answered. "You live."

"So do you," she said as she took a slow lap of the room, leaving Chesh to stand in the middle of the room by himself. Her skirts dragged along the ground, creating a soft swishing sound, while she lifted her chin to stare at the ceiling. "Impressive, that is. Considering how you tend to fail so utterly."

He growled slightly, taking a step forward. Archibades clenched a fist now glowing red power and the White Queen turned slowly. She stared him down and he flinched, the power leaving him quickly. Instead, he cleared his throat and looked at Chesh.

"You still have him after all of these years?" he demanded.

"Of course. It was as I had planned. Wonderland had pulled another Alice to topple the house of cards, and she returned again, as the Alice before her did. It was only a matter of time before she would come to the Taiga. Chesh was there to meet her," the Queen answered. "You control the City?"

"Nearly all of it. It is nearly as expansive as the Forest itself, with so many levels and twists. We have only to conquer the lowest levels and we will control the City. After that, all of Wonderland will fall easily when they learn the fate of the City," Archibades stated smugly. The Queen nodded.

"Yet they still knew of the Sceptre. How strange," she murmured, her grey eyes glinting dangerously. "I have installed my Crows to...perch...alongside your Knights. I believe it is time that I take up residence here as well."

"I had thought you were to remain in the Taiga," the Red King ground out.

"I thought of that too. Until I remembered that I had shared my power with you, to use when the time was right to escape. Our agreement was to allow my vengeance to couple with your thirst for ambition. So that I could avenge the loss of my kingdom and the death of my precious Thyme."

"I have not gone back on my word," Archibades ground out. Behind him, Sable the Black Knight put a hand to the hilt of his sword and looked at Chesh. The Cheshire saw the movement and shook his head at the Knight, his cat-green eyes glinting with power. The Black Knight removed his hand from the hilt of the sword and relaxed just slightly. He was in no mood to battle with a Cheshire.

"Did you, or did you not, drive the Hatter to madness?" she demanded.

"Drive him to? You, my dear, never did say that the Hatter family would set up a trap so nefarious within that simple man's mind!" Archibades roared at her, the humiliation at his own weakness in the face of Hatter's mind still too fresh a wound. The White Queen took several steps to Archibades and planted her hands on her hips.

"You fool! The Hatter family always drew strength from their minds and you tried to rip a secret from him! You were too impatient!" she snapped. Then her mouth did a twist into a smile that made Chesh look away. "You wanted to see if you could recover the Sceptre first, hmm?"

Archibades looked away.

"A shame, but you are testing my good grace, Archibades," she whispered, her voice taunting. "I wanted to kill the Hatter myself, but you have likely opened a can of worms you are not prepared to deal with."

"The boy is off, likely having killed himself , in the Kingdom. He is mad."

"Madness is dangerous in this place, Archibades," the Queen said. "You know that."

"What could he do? The Knights can handle one simple man," Archibades stated and Chesh cleared his throat.

"Not if he learns what was done to destroy the new Alice," he said. The Red King looked at him and then back at the White Queen. Her cold smile was contagious but she was void of humour.

"Should this Hatter not be dead, we are not safe. Whatever lies in his mind...could you imagine it released over Wonderland?" the Queen asked, but her voice held a note of wonder. As if she were interested herself to see it happen.

"The Alice is dead?"

"Not yet. My Examiners were draining her."

Archibades gave her a look. "Should she escape..."

"Then it will be dealt with accordingly." The White Queen moved away from him and took a seat near the holograph table. "Everything is in motion and she does not have the strength to defeat **me**."

"You are so confident."

"One hundred years of planning have made me so. This will end how I want it to end," the White Queen answered and the Red King stared at her.

"As to how **we** want it to end. With our rule of this world," he reminded her and she gave him another smile.

"Of course, dear Archibades. Of course." They stared at each other in perfect understanding, each thinking that they had deceived the other. The Taiga Royalty had never participated equally in any matter and as with every chess game, they were playing this the way that they had played with small wars all the time. Every move to deceive and trick, to trap. Staring at one another, the Red King and the White Queen tried to read the weakness of the other.

Behind the White Queen, Chesh heard the sound of the Crows chirping amongst each other. It was growing louder and louder as they grew agitated, one of the Crows squawking now. The sound carried through the thick doors and both of the Royals were staring now. The Red King looked at the White Queen.

"You brought your murder?" he demanded and she smiled.

"Of course. You have your Knights. I have my Crows. Fair, is it not?" she said, making it clear that she trusted him no more than he trusted her. The White Queen looked over at Chesh. "What is it?"

He shook his head, turning around and going to the doors. He opened it to see that the Crows were all chirping still in their bird language, one a newcomer. Chesh looked him over, recognizing him as a scout he had sent out to look for Hatter in the Kingdom of Knights. The Crow was being harassed by the others, several pushing at him and Chesh grabbed the Crow's collar. For a small man, he yanked the Crow into the Royal Apartment and shut the door in the faces of the Crows.

The Crow he had taken was pale with exhaustion, shivering and soaking wet. His leather armour was shredded at the sides, several scratches and bite marks having ripped chunks apart. Chesh let the Crow collapse to its knees, still shaking, and the White Queen stood, walking to stand before it. Sniffing in disgust at the musky scent of forest on the creature, she used her well-shod foot nudge his chin up.

"What is it?" she demanded and the Crow cleared its throat to rid itself of its native language.

"I followed the paths of the Kingdom of Knights," he said. He spoke slowly, trying to think over the words carefully. "I was told to be certain that the Hatter was either dead or alive, to find him."

"What of that?" the Queen demanded as she removed her foot and glared down at him. The Crow shivered at her look and dropped his chin to stare at her shoes.

"I found tracks, fresh ones, not a day ago, my Queen. There were horses, all carrying weight, from the paths of the Taiga. They were shod and when I followed the tracks I found a fire-pit still warm."

If it were possible, the Queen lost more colour from her face. Archibades stared at her. "Did you not contain the others?" he asked, a snide tone to his voice.

"They were trapped in a rabbit hole. Guarded by the best of my guard," she said. She stared down at the Crow. "This is impossible. Were they Jabberwock hunters' horses?"

"No, they avoided the breeding grounds. Something I wish I had done," the Crow answered, touching his torn armour. "I saw them clearly, deep in the Kingdom. I saw them in the distance, saw the girl walking by herself to a shed that must have been built. I went to follow but a Jabberwock found me first. I ran...flew to come back here and tell you of this."

The Queen absorbed this information slowly, her grey eyes closing while she tapped a finger against her cheek. Archibades watched her, wisely holding his tongue for the moment. With a swish of her skirts, she turned and stared at the holograph map. There was no chance of guessing her thoughts. When she looked back at the Crow, her jaw was clenched.

"So, they escaped. Which means that someone has helped them," she whispered, her voice tight with warning. The Crow was trembling and looked absurd for such a tall creature.

"Mistress?"

"I set my guard there. Would you say it was possible for your kind to betray me...to Alice?" she whispered and Chesh flicked his eyes between her and the Crow.

"I'm...I'm not sure, your Majesty," the Crow whispered, his voice barely audible. The Queen looked over at Chesh.

"Bring the others from the main guard in here now." The Cheshire jumped to do her bidding, the room quickly flooded with the Crows when he opened the door. They lined up near the door, staring at their Queen. She stared at them all. "The King of Hearts and this Alice have escaped. Would your kind have betrayed me?"

It was a simple question but the room filled with sudden tension as each of the Crows refused to look at their Queen. She sighed sadly. "Have I not treated you as my personal favourites? Have I not been generous when others would have left you to be no more than scavengers?"

One of them coughed before answering. "Of course, my Queen."

"Yet I doubt your loyalties," she said. She glanced at Chesh and then down at the Crow still on his knees. The Cheshire nodded, understanding her while his one hand went to his coat. "Perhaps you need to be reminded why I can command your loyalties with not needing to use my power."

The Crow kneeling raised his head to protest and Chesh grabbed his short slick hair. With a hard twist, he wrenched the Crow's head back and quickly slit his throat. The Crow made a chortle in his throat, one hand flying up to touch the gash in his throat before his black eyes rolled back and he fell lifelessly at the Queen's feet. Her eyes never left the Crows that still lined up before her, watching as they all stared blankly at the wall.

"The King of Hearts will be returning here, to try to stop us. Find him and if you can, bring him alive. The girl Alice as well. Kill the others that they may have with them," she ordered. "Do not forget who you serve."

They all took themselves from the room slowly, only one stopping to drag his fallen brother from the floor. The Queen sniffed at the smell of blood and waited until the door was closed behind them before looking at Archibades. He gave her a lazy smile.

"Effective. But doesn't it speak poorly if they are willing to betray you?" he asked. Sensing the insult, she glared at him.

"The Crows are mine to deal with. Don't trouble yourself with them," she snapped in irritation. Chesh cleaned the bloody blade slowly, humming to himself as he did so.

"We bear the Sceptre and the Stone of Wonderland now. Even if this Jack Heart tries to find us, he will be too late. Used properly, the Sceptre will guarantee our immortality and our control over this world. He will be nothing," Archibades said. The White Queen nodded, turning to stare at the map.

"Cheshire. The Stone."

He jerked at her order, her power wrapping around him hypnotically. Nodding, he reached into his deep coat pocket and dangled the ring from the chain proudly. Just this morning, when they had been breaking near the entrance of the city, he had brought the ring out to stare at it. It was a simple little thing, twisted metal with no real stone. He had never been privy to seeing the Stone before, so he wondered if it was a metaphorical meaning.

When he handed it over to the White Queen, his fingers brushing her long white ones, he was not prepared for the ugly twist in her face.

"What is this?" she asked lowly, staring with wide grey eyes at the ring.

"The Stone. I took it off the Alice," he answered, stepping back nervously when her eyes darted to him. She moved fast, terrifyingly so, wrapping the thin chain around his neck and kicking his legs out from him. The manoeuvre was foreign to her, even the White Queen surprised at how instinctively it came to her, but it was effective. Chesh went down on his knees, her at his back with the chain slowly cutting off his air.

"Fool! Idiot!" she growled, giving the chain a hard yank.

"Mistress!" he gasped, unable to form any magic to retaliate. Holding the chain in one hand, she showed the ring to him.

" **This** is not the Stone! This is some key ring!" she screamed in his ear. She stared at him. "How could you be so foolish!"

"I saw the King give her this on a chain! It had been carrying it on his own person, I know that! I watched her place the ring in a drawer, saw her put it back on! The ring was there!" he said, choking when she jerked on the chain.

"Did you think to find out for certain?" she demanded. "Our little bargain is nothing without the correct stone!"

The Red King was silent, amused at the display. Somehow she was less intimidating when she had been caught unprepared. Sable, still standing just behind Archibades, thought that the way she had moved was eerily familiar. Something he had seen before...

"She must have passed it on...hid it!" Chesh cried out when she released the chain just slightly. " I will have to find it again!"

"Where would she have hidden it?" the Red King asked.

Chesh's eyes bulged at the lack of air. "The Hatter...or the Knight. One of them!"

The White Queen gave a disgusted snort and let the chain go, watching as her servant slumped forward. Gasping for air, Chesh lay terrified and not willing to attract her wrath any further. Her face still twisted into an ugly grimace, she stalked away from him and stood before the holograph once more.

"The King of Hearts is likely coming here to try to stop us," the Red King said casually.

"Even without the Stone, I can use the Sceptre's power to a degree," she answered. "But I will want it all the same."

"My men could..."

"No." She turned her cold eyes on Chesh. "Cheshire. Your chance at redemption. Retrieve the Stone and all is forgiven."

Still coughing, he slowly got to his feet and trembled nervously. He nodded all the same and the White Queen turned back around. Her eyes flicked over Archibades. "If Jack Heart comes here, we will need to pull him away from the others. Him and the Alice. The White Knight and the Knave will be easy to deal with," she answered.

"If the Hatter comes?"

"That...is where Chesh comes in," she answered and Chesh blanched.

"Yes, my Queen." He stared at his shoes and wondered what he had done to deserve this. Flexing his fingers, he still felt the tingles of magic there and sighed in relief. If the Hatter came, then it would be easy enough to use magic on him to destroy his mind further. Then it would be just a matter of taking care of the Knave and the Knight.

"Perfect. Archibades, would you have anything we could use to torment this Heart with?" the White Queen asked of the Red King and he smiled.

* * *

The tiny boy, Mouse, was curled up against Amelia's legs, staring at the walls of the cell. She stroked his head with her freshly plastered fingers, her breathing shallow. Her last beating had resulted in bruised ribs and she was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. The others were still curled up, the number of them growing. There was a tiny old woman and a tall thin man called Duck, both rather battered from their treatment, and an assortment of other Wonderlanders who had been able to avoid the first wave of invading Knights. The cell was cramped but Amelia had become accustomed to the darkness and the smell of sweat and blood.

Against her legs, Mouse shivered at the cold. The entire building seemed to have dropped in temperature over the past hours and they had been given few blankets. The Examiners had come, once or twice, to try to break into their minds again, but lately they had been left alone. Which was somehow worse. Now they had to guess what their fate may be, if they were being left to die by starvation or cold.

"We're going to die here, aren't we?" Mouse whispered to Amelia and she shook her head.

"No, Mouse. I don't think we will. The King will save us," she comforted but across from them, a skinny little man named Bill laughed.

"Save us? He's likely hiding out, the coward. If he had had it in him to execute the old royals like he should have, none of us would be in this mess!" he said. Amelia, her one eye still dark red, glared at him but Dormie nodded from his little perch near the barred window. He had been tugging on the bars futilely for hours now.

"He's right, you know. We're done for. Like expired treacle. Done. Tossed out. Likely going to be made into those monsters!" he cried out, the sound echoing in the small room. Mouse whimpered against Amelia's leg and she shushed him.

"We would have been made into them already, if that were the plan!" she snapped. Her voice, shaky as it was, still held a measure of cold nobility and silenced the hysterical Dormouse.

"Then something else has been planned," one of the remaining Suits whispered. He had been one of the ones taken out and tortured, yet he had returned to them and recovered quickly.

"We don't know that," Amelia insisted.

"Maybe they'll just torture us until we bleed out," Bill moaned and Amelia resisted the urge to slap him. She cleared her throat and he looked at her, seeing her pointedly look at the child she cradled. "Just sayin' the truth, no use in giving the boy false hope!"

Mouse sighed against Amelia's leg. "Do you still hope, my lady?"

"Always," she whispered, though her own confidence was shaken. The Red King's words had pierced deeply. What would Jack, if he did come, do? What would he say when he saw her like this, a creature that the Red King was starting to twist? She felt useless here but even escape was futile now when faced with such darkness. No one spoke of the long hours that passed when she was taken, no one daring to stare at the vicious marks and bruises that covered her body. She knew fully well what she looked like though. The despair that she felt couldn't be shown though and she touched the shard of glass that she had hidden within her ripped bodice.

She had been left in confinement after the Red King's last rape, to have her broken fingers reset and several wounds treated. He hadn't wanted her to die of infection, a cruel kindness on his part. He wanted to break her and having her dead would do him no good. When left alone, Amelia had pulled the shard from her hair out and held it above her wrist. She had even gone so far as to press the shard against the blue veins there beneath the delicate skin, felt the sharpness of it, and stopped herself. Her hope was still there even within the depression, and she had remembered the tiny boy that had been dependent on her for a kind word. So she had tucked the shard back into her hair.

Sitting there, staring at the wall, Amelia wondered what good the glass did then. There was no reason to take it and she reached up to pull the shard out of her hair, palming it over and over. Outside of the cell, she could hear doors opening and she stiffened, staring at the sharp shard. There was only two pairs of boots on the tile and she knew it was for her. At these odd hours it was only for her, unless she did something about it. The plan formulated fast in her mind and she stared at the Suit who had survived.

"Spade," she whispered and he lifted his head to look at her.

"My Lady?" He crept over to her so that she would not have to raise her voice.

"You know the way from these cells to the outside? Or to the ledges?" she whispered and he nodded, staring in confusion. Reaching into her bodice, she pulled one of the larger shards of glass out. He stared at it, at the one she was concealing in her hand, and then at her face. "Get them out."

"But...they'll kill you."

"Find Jack. Let him know that the White Queen is coming to join the Red King. He'll have a plan, I know he will. Tell him that I..." she paused and stared at the others in the cell. They were all listening intently but silently, clearly understanding her. "If I can at least distract one, you can have a chance. It is the first door to the right that leads to the ledges. You'll have to use your heads to get down from there."

"This is going to get us killed!" Bill whispered, his skin already slick with sweat. The Spade Suit looked at him.

"Then stay here to die." He nodded to the Duchess. "I'll do as you ask, my lady. Others will have to stay close."

Amelia felt Mouse's hand grip hers. "I don't want to leave you," he begged and she looked down.

"You're going to have to," she ordered. The Suit reached down and picked up the small boy for her, despite the child's protests. "Wait for it."

They broke apart as the cell door opened. An Examiner and a Knight stood, the Knight holding the door back for the Examiner. The thin, red skinned man sidled into the room with a terse smile, holding out his hand. "My Duchess, if you wouldn't mind?" he asked.

Sighing, Amelia stood and went meekly to him, trembling with what he saw as fear. Then her head lifted when she met him and he jumped at the look in her bruised face. Leaping forward, she shoved the shard into his throat hard, sending him back instantly while the old man Duck grabbed him and threw him back. The entire group swarmed out the doorway, overpowering the Knight momentarily. The Suit made sure they were all out, starting to follow them to the other door but Amelia found herself grabbed the waist, screaming in fury at the Knight who was struggling with her.

"Go!" she screamed and the Suit stared at her, torn between following the others and helping her. The Knight's horse head snorted in fury and the little boy in the Suit's arms screamed in terror, distracting the Wonderlander. The Knight reached over and slapped his hand over the alarm near the cell door even when Amelia tried to squirm out of his arms. The Suit took one last look at her as the Knight slammed his fist hard into her chin before he ran through the door holding the screaming boy. Amelia fell to the floor, struggling to stay conscious as she met Mouse's large eyes with her own before he disappeared from her sight. An odd relief flooded her and she let her head drop back wearily onto the tile while the Knight began to drag her after him, yelling for help.


	33. A Drop of Patience

The Wonderland Tea House was strangely quiet, the outside dim. The usual red marquee that ran across was still bright but with the 'T' and the 'H' blanked out from the neon light. Hatter and the others leaned out to check the surroundings, feeling the incredible chill of the wind that was blowing through the buildings. The narrow bridge that spanned between the buildings was burnt free of grass and the dirt was now black and overturned. Hatter pushed his fedora back slightly, looking up slowly to the very top of the building. He had renamed and redesigned the Tea Shop after his father's death but it was still the central focus of the building, directly at a midway point down. It was part of a myriad of businesses in the massive building, separated by its own safety measures and tricky stairways. The levels were jagged, so that the Tea Shop jutted out more one way and overlapped another building on its way up. There were only three ways into Hatter's part of the building and at the moment the way he wanted to go was rather dismal.

There was a red mist swirling now along the building's front, as if the mist itself was trying to enter the building through the windows. It draped itself like a curtain over his front doors, dense enough that the worn white veranda was coated in it. Hatter peered closer and whistled lowly when he saw what looked like frozen statues lying on the side of the veranda steps.

"Right," he whispered before leaning back from the side of the red old telephone booth. Jack and the Knave were crowded close behind him. "It looks deserted."

"Looks deserted? How...certain you seem," the Knave rumbled. Hatter rolled his eyes.

"I can get us from here to the other tunnels. We could see if there's a resistance down there, but we need weapons and some food before we go. Don't know about you all, but going into a palace swarmed with Knights and who knows what else has no appeal," Hatter commented dryly. The Knave sighed.

"He's right," Jack said. Hatter looked at the taller man.

"I am...'course I am," he said with a bright grin that made the Knave glare at him in annoyance.

"We need to get in, get supplies, and get out. There's a possibility that the Red King will know we are here," Jack said and from over his shoulder Alice nodded. She looked back out behind them.

"Or the White Queen." The name made a chill crawl up her spine and Alice tugged the heavy black overcoat tighter against herself. Hatter nodded before he went first across the strip to the Tea Shop, crouching low to the ground. The others followed in a quick like, Charlie trying to quiet his squeaking armour as he went. He stared down at the ground, grabbing hold of his chausses and jogging like a crab. So intent on the trying to keep quiet that he didn't stop himself in time and bumped hard into Alice. She fell up against Jack's back before steadying herself but he was heavy enough to hold her.

"Charlie," Alice said, turning and helping him up. Before them, the veranda doors were still draped in red mist, too thick to see through. She squinted to try to see but it was no better. "Can we just open the door?"

Hatter reached down, plucking one of longer weeds from between the cracks. Gingerly, he held it out into the mist and watched as the mist wrapped around it, dropping the weed as if it burned. "Bit of a trap that is," Hatter commented, scratching at the back of his neck. "Likely a calling card of theirs."

"Hmm." The Knave rubbed at his side thoughtfully. "I doubt they stayed here. The damage looks like it has been done."

Jack nodded. "We need something to sort it. First thing is to get through this mist. Bullets might work...fire maybe?"

Alice glanced about but there was nothing for kindling that she could see. The burnt grass and dirt was sparse of anything but that coating of snow. Pursing her lips, she turned to her left and bumped into Hatter. He grinned at her, seeing her confusion when he laced his fingers around hers. His fingers were surprisingly warm compared to hers and Alice squeezed his hand tighter.

"Care to give it a shot?" he asked lowly. Still confused, she stared up at him and his one hand reached out and touched the hip where her second tattoo was. Alice thought it over and slowly stepped around him, Hatter's fingers still touching hers. His mouth brushed her ear. "Remember, if it hurts..."

"Don't do it?" Alice asked and he chuckled. Jack and the Knave stepped back with Charlie and watched as the soft glow that had been dimming around Alice seemed to flare slightly. Hatter supported her, whispering encouragement when he saw her frustration. How had she done it before with Chesh? Hadn't the Cheshire been using his own power and using hers?

"I don't get it," Alice whispered to herself and Hatter shrugged, his fingers still touching hers.

"Neither do I. Remember what Wonderlanders find fascinating about Oysters? Your emotions, your light, your dreams...you still don't dream, even a little?" Hatter asked. "That's my guess. Your strengths shine just as much as your weakness dulls."

Alice looked over her shoulder at him and he stared back. Her mind drifted back to what she had felt when her father had died, the grief she had felt once more when she had beaten the hallucination of her father in the game of chess. The glow dimmed and she thought of the entire trip, the way it had made her realize how strong she had become. Without realizing it, she stared blankly ahead of herself. While the others watched, the glow seemed to pulse just slightly but the mists started to drift away. Alice looked up, sniffing away tears before they could fall. Hatter let her hand go, sensing her distress and not sure if he had pushed her when she shouldn't have been pushed. Before them the red mist was drifting away from the doors and Alice shivered beneath the heavy leather overcoat.

"Alice..." Hatter said, wanting to apologize but not sure for what or how to begin. She swallowed a lump in her throat, dashing away her tears quickly.

"I'm fine." She met his eyes, seeing his concern. "Really, I am."

Hatter nodded, going by her up the worn veranda to the set of doors. Alice yanked her coat tighter around her body and dropped her chin to her collar. Charlie had his mouth half-open to question her when Jack gave him a nudge and shook his head. Charlie wisely closed his mouth. Hatter pressed against the set of doors, the Knave following suit. The two men listened for a moment, staring at one another before the Knave nodded and held the door open for Hatter. The younger man went first, pausing in the doorway and glancing around the corner before waving them all in.

The Tea Shop was silent, lacking the throbbing music and hum of customers from the last time Alice and Hatter had visited. The lights were still on, several flickering as electrical surges went through the room, but the walls were missing the decorative paintings that had once covered them, the windows dirty and stained with red. The tea bar, which had once been packed, was completely empty and nearly ruined: half-drunk glass tea cups scattered over the tables, chairs upturned and in some areas there was blood staining the once pristine floor. Alice drifted away from the others, dragging her feet slightly as she took in the change to the tea bar. No wonder Hatter had been concerned because his business, his home, was likely ruined. Alice turned on her heel slightly to go to one of the tables that was still upright, frowning down at it as she noticed an etching that had been burned into the dark painted wood.

It was of a checkerboard, similar to that she had seen on the Crows, and the etching marred the table. _How can they destroy so many lives so easily?_ Alice thought to herself, worried about the possibility of all of Hatter's customers having been killed. Frowning and starting to feel furious at the cruelty of the old Royals, Alice traced her fingers over the mark and watched as the etching began to sizzle. Beneath her fingers, the etching sizzled and then slowly faded away completely. Stunned, Alice jerked her hand back and stared at her fingertips. Her fingertips seemed to pulse slightly for just a moment, the way they might have if she had burned them on a hot stove, before the feeling faded. Alice reached up with her fingers and touched her cheek but the heat was gone, replaced by the icy cold she had been feeling for some time now.

Jack and the Knave both went to open a window, trying to force it open but the iron locks were frozen from the cold. The Knave shoved at it hard, finally managing to get the window open with a loud bang. There was a second loud clash of metal on metal before a siren went off, blasting through the room with an obnoxious whine and screech. The sound made everyone jump and clap their hands over their ears at the high pitch screech, the siren continuing on uninterrupted even when the Knave re-shut the window. Hatter tripped over several chairs and tables before he made it to Dormie's desk, sliding over the counter of it and landing hard on his back when he toppled over the edge of the desk. Fumbling with drawers and papers, he slammed his hand down onto a button that made the siren louder for a moment. He hit the button again and the sirens faded until they could all hear again.

Hatter gave a sheepish grin when his head popped back over the edge of the desk. "Well...better late than never when it comes to an alarm, eh?"

Still nursing newly sore eardrums, none of the others could find much humour in it. Jack looked up at the ceiling, the fans overhead still turning slowly though the lights were dimmed. "Looks like they found what they wanted. They were looking for prisoners."

"This place was packed when we all left," Alice whispered. "All those people..."

"It could be possible, Justalice," Charlie said, trying to comfort her, "that they have escaped."

Hatter nodded but did so grimly. "We can only hope," he murmured before he moved from around the desk to one of the windows. Peering out the foggy windows, he frowned at the building across the way. There were marks on the doors and windows and even from the distance he could see that there were people inside frozen mid-stride. There were still some lights flickering around in the other building, mostly on the lower levels, but Hatter saw no one moving around inside of the building. Returning to the desk, he shuffled through Dormie's mess of notes, wondering if his employee had managed to escape. His fingers fell on one that was crumpled and he smoothed the note out slowly, the wrinkly paper spotted with blood. Dormie had written in his elaborate calligraphy 'Knights.'

"Damn" Hatter whispered. The shop had nearly been destroyed for the second time but he couldn't imagine anyone lingering in the shop. Sinking to his knees, he opened one of the drawers and found the security holographs that he had had Dormie begin to record everyday. He rewound the holographs and watched as Dormie locked down the east side of the shop before the Knights had pushed through. In doing so he had hidden Hatter's personal rooms and the supply area, the one that led into tunnels. He sighed in relief. _Thank Wonderland that sometimes Dormie could use his scattered wits._

"Rooms we need will likely be safe," Hatter said with a groan as he stood, rubbing at his knees. Alice turned and looked at him and he smiled at her reassuringly. Charlie paused in his attempts to right the damage that the Knights had done.

"So let's..." Jack started but Hatter held up a hand.

"I hid a lot of stuff around here. I'm not even sure what's around but it will all be in the east rooms. We'll need to scrounge about for about two hours or so. I suggest we get some food...weapons...anything we can think of. Take a breather. Once we hit those tunnels we won't be able to come back here." Hatter took off his hat and ruffled his hair quickly before pushing it back on. "I need to get to my private office. I can grab the maps there, see if I can find a better route to the other side of the Palace. My memory ain't bad but it ain't great either."

"Well...we can find food," the Knave said with a nudge to Charlie's side. The Knight nodded eagerly, both of them eager to find something to eat. Hatter nodded, opening the hidden door and swinging it open carefully. He checked the hallway first before waving them in.

"Two halls down, a flight of stairs up and you'll find the small kitchens. Has better food than my place would, and more of it," he said, leaning back to let them pass The two older men moved quickly, the Knave still coughing but moving strongly. Hatter watched him disappear with Charlie, the older Knight giving the Knave a bit of a hand through the door. Hatter looked back around and met Jack's eyes, seeing the King's concern but he himself looked away quickly. Alice slid up between them into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" she asked Hatter.

"We can get supplies that way as well," Hatter said. "I stored things for the Resistance for years, can't even remember how many things are in the store rooms. Should be some still kickin' around. Just want to make sure the door leading down the opposite way is still safe. That way we can get back to the tunnel and the horses without being followed."

Jack and Alice followed him down the hall, Hatter tapping on the walls as he went. The grass carpets were still lush and decadent, yet the sight of them made Hatter's stomach tighten. He felt the utter stupidity of the moment; of all the things to be untouched, grass...not Wonderlanders, damn grass. Jack passed him but Hatter was tapping away on the walls still, his face now distant as he thought about what his customers and friends may have suffered. Alice, watching Hatter, had the urge to take his hand but held herself back when he started to count to himself. Jack looked over his shoulder as well and they both saw him push open a door. Hatter poked his head in and then back out, delighted with himself. "Office is still in good order, least," he said happily, propping the door open before continuing along with his tapping.

They only went ten feet or so before he stopped tapping again and pushed open another door. Alice and Jack peeked around his shoulder to see that it was another outside ledge, with Alice pulling her head back in and gulping for air when she saw the dizzying heights. Hatter moved to the side more to let Jack glance down the side of the building. There was a long fire escape ladder that led down... endlessly down until the iron seemed to fade into the building and disappeared in a strange crooked fashion. Jack frowned and leaned back with Hatter, not wanting to admit that he was feeling a bit dizzy himself.

"That's a long way down," he commented before leaning back out and trying to see how far down the ladder went.

"Would be. It goes right down to the sewers and to the tunnel. We can swing around it onto the ledge where we hid the horses. Keeps us from being caught by anyone who may have followed us." Hatter smiled and then noticed Alice's pale face. He nudged her shoulder while Jack still looked down. "Hey."

Her eyes flickered to him. She was clearly thinking he was insane for suggesting they climb all that way down, especially with her being as scared of heights as she was. She shook her head at him but he nodded his head at her, letting her know that it would have to be done. The wordless conversation kept on for another moment before she sighed.

"Won't be that bad, eh?" he said with a smile, reaching out and stroking her cheek. The gesture made her relax before she looked into his eyes and felt her heart pound a bit harder. It was hard to describe why or what caused it, but she felt herself looking at him harder and in some confusion. Hatter opened his mouth to say something to her but Jack turned around, forcing Hatter to drop his hand from Alice's cheek.

"Let's find the others, get some food in us, and get those supplies," Jack said. "I don't like the idea of being in one place for too long."

"Yeah...sure," Hatter answered, shutting the exit door hard. Jack led the way back slowly, more certain of the way now. Alice followed him, growing increasingly aware of Hatter walking beside her at a slow saunter. She felt like a coiled spring around him still, unable to help the way she reacted to him after that kiss on horseback. Hatter seemed aware of her tension, occasionally glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Alice went to look at him but his eyes remained on the back of the other man. His hand was flexing into a fist over and over again, not in threat but more out of a nervous reflex.

"I have to admit that it would be good to get some food and not have to run about before we leave," Jack said over his shoulder. "Hatter, you still want to handle your office?"

Hatter was silent and Jack and Alice both looked at him. He seemed distant and seemed to be calculating something in his mind, looking down at his hand now and then. Jack cleared his throat.

"Hatter? Your office?"

Hatter jerked as if Jack had startled him but smiled all the same. "Yeah sure. Not a problem," he muttered and Alice glanced at him. The tone of his voice was more distracted than worried and he smiled at her when he saw her concern, the smile making her stomach do a flip. It was a familiar expression to her but not to Jack, who thought that maybe he was just trying to reassure her that he would be along shortly. Alice, used to Hatter, knew it meant something very, very different. Hatter flicked his eyes over her as they came close to his rooms, trying not to seem like a scolded child while he opened the door a bit wider. Jack carried on, not concerned by the sight while Alice looked over into the room before Hatter disappeared into it. The room was as they had left it, still half-lit and the tea table still strewn with teapots.

 _What on earth is Hatter going to do in there? Brood?_ Alice thought to herself. Frowning in confusion, she kept going when she lost sight of him inside the large room. She heard him snapping on a few lights and shuffling something out of the way. Well, if he wanted to do whatever it was he was intending to do, she could go and get some food. Her stomach was starting to rumble a bit. Maybe it was a good idea that to go with Jack and see what Charlie was trying to cook...

Her hand was suddenly grabbed by a powerful grip and she was whirled back and around into Hatter's room, her dark hair twirling in the air like a veil. Her boots snagged on the grass carpet, tripping her into the room and she fell forward into Hatter's body. She opened her mouth to cry out but found it covered by a seductively familiar pair of lips that demanded her response when they snapped against hers and forced her mouth to open. Her cry dropped to a groan as he nipped at her lips, his fingers yanking her tighter into his body. Hatter pushed her against the open door to close it behind her, practically trapping her against the door with his hands holding her tighter. Alice moaned against his mouth, managing to lift her arms between them to pop the large buttons on the coat. She arched against him while moving her arms down to slide them free of the heavy coat. Hatter moved just slightly, grabbing the coat and flinging it to the floor before Alice grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him in even closer.

* * *

Jack looked around, hearing the click of the door and the loud thump of something landing against it. With a roll of his eyes when he saw that they were both gone, he continued on his way to check the kitchens. Ten minutes he supposed. He could give them ten minutes to argue or do whatever it was they could do in ten minutes. How much trouble could those two get into in ten minutes?

* * *

Hatter growled something against Alice's mouth as he pushed her hands up away from his collar, pinning her wrists against the door. Nudging her chin to the side, his lips burned a path down her neck, marking the pale skin and making her moan as she tried to push into him impatiently. The door thudded behind them as Hatter moved tighter against her until she knew there was no moving away from him even if she had wanted to, and she felt his hardness beneath his trousers grinding into her stomach. Lifting onto her toes, Alice ground her hips against him, whimpering at the feel of him and not caring that they had just dodged Jack and were once again against a door in a haze of lust. Not caring that there was a chance of being found out. Hatter was gasping for breath as he licked and sucked at her skin, slipping the buttons of her shirt apart just enough that he could kiss the top of her breasts. Her heart pounded furiously and she gasped when his mouth closed over the tip of her breast through the shirt. Alice slipped her hands free from his and undid his collar, feeling the leather of his worn jacket hot against her fingers when she stopped unbuttoning him in favour of touching him. She stroked as much of his chest as she could feel, tracing the faint scars and muscling that shivered at her touch.

Leaning into her with his mouth still sucking hard at her covered nipple, Hatter nudged her legs apart and bent. He lifted her one leg slightly, yanking her boot off before doing the same to her other foot. His hand was beneath her riding skirt, tearing downward so that he could pull the leggings and underwear off in one careful yank. Alice gasped when his fingers slid back up her thighs with incredible aim to skim against her surprisingly wet heat and she heard him groan against the top of her breast. His breath was hot and ragged, his teeth nipping against her skin when he lifted his head and brushed his tongue over her thundering pulse. Unable to slow herself down, she gulped for breath before she reached between them and jerked his belt loose.

Hatter's hand suddenly grabbed her hands and lifted them from his waist, trapping them between their bodies. His mouth brushed over her breasts through the shirt and Alice let her head bang back against the door, biting her lower lip to contain the moan threatening to escape. Hatter leaned back a bit, the maddeningly cocky grin of his sending her heart banging against her ribs. She sank her teeth harder into her lower lip as she watched him, her fingers clenching and unclenching against his stomach. He slid to his knees, biting at her stomach through the shirt as he went.

"I like this shirt," he commented against the silky material. "It is one of my favourites, y'know. Don't want it gettin' ripped, might want it back. Though I do love how it looks on you."

His tongue slid out against the silk and even through the material she felt her skin prickle with sensation. Memory of what had happened to the last shirt she had worn around him when they were just as mad for each as they were now prickled at her and she shivered in anticipation. Licking suddenly dry lips, she drew in a deep breath.

"I'm not sure why you aren't going to. You ripped apart my blouse without thinking," Alice managed as she glanced down at him. Lifting his head, he gave her that grin again.

"So I did." She felt his fingers trailing up her thighs beneath the skirt and gasped at the cool touch, closing her eyes again. Alice forgot to pay attention to what he was saying but he didn't seem to mind. Hatter was talking to himself again, remarking on how hard it was to find decent shirts with that particular design but she ignored him, one hand grasping the doorknob to steady herself while the other toyed with her shirt buttons. Absentmindedly, she flipped the lock on it while he pushed the skirt higher, her mind going from coherent to fevered quickly when she felt his breath on her bared skin. Suddenly, a warm tongue swiped along the seam of her sex and she cried out, arching blindly toward the wonderful feeling.

 _Lust, pure desire_ , Alice thought. _This was what it would be in pure form._...though Alice had never tried them, she could have sworn that she had been slipped drops of Flying High and Lust. Hatter groaned something against her, the words unintelligible to her when all she could hear was her blood pounding out an erratic rhythm in her ears. Alice simply slipped her legs further apart and prayed that she wouldn't pass out.

His mouth trailed along her, one hand still gripping her thigh in a tight grip that made her shift into it, his tongue stroking her. Her hands left her sides to tangle in the soft hair at his nape, grabbing his hat and throwing it blindly away from them. She barely managed to make a sound, her hips arching and falling in rhythm with his mouth whenever he shifted on his knees. Her throat felt constricted and after their brief time apart this felt almost new again, new and terribly exciting.

It was almost as if the feel of his mouth on her body was enough after such a time without him touching her and she whimpered, nearly ashamed at the sound from her mouth. The hand gripping her thigh loosened slightly, the fingers circling gently back and forth in an absentminded caress. Alice preferred not to whimper at times like this but there was no other sound she could make. Hatter made a murmur against her skin again, his breath almost scalding her as much as his tongue did, and Alice bit into her lower lip hard to contain the noises threatening to come from her throat. She felt his mouth leave her skin and she trembled, tugging on his hair as she felt him rise slightly. She didn't dare to open her eyes, not now. If she opened her eyes, she may be dreaming and still stuck in the hold of the White Queen...and she did not want to think of that.

Hatter cleared his throat, his lips pressing a quick kiss against her stomach. "Trust me, Alice. Just relax," he whispered softly and she felt his other hand suddenly leave her thigh to gently stroke her breast again. The words struck a chord in her and Alice tugged on his hair slightly, trying to hold herself up. He was smiling, she could feel it even through the fabric of the shirt. Alice took a breath, feeling his mouth trail back down her stomach again in a slow descent that nearly had her pushing at his head. Then his mouth had slipped between her thighs and he brushed his tongue gently against her clit at the same time he squeezed her breast in his palm.

She cried out at the painful pleasure of it, the movements shocking her into a blind climax that tore through her body like a crashing wave. Lost in the feeling, she dropped her head back and Alice tried to keep herself from falling into Hatter. Gasping for breath, she felt her legs shake and moaned, turning her head to the side to press her cheek against the cool door. Still not wanting to open her eyes, Alice released her mad grip on his hair slowly while the pulsing tension left her body to leave a languid warmth. A hand squeezed against her thigh lightly and then the mouth left her to trail a warm line up her covered stomach.

Breathing deeply in and out and still not daring to open her eyes, she shivered and found herself dropping back down to normal. It took Alice a moment to realize that he was standing against her, his hand still tracing over the soft skin of her thigh. She felt his mouth press gently against her forehead and smiled against the gentle caress. Hatter waited for her to open her eyes before he gave her a smile back.

"Hello," he murmured and she sighed, letting go of his hair. The strands sprang back to their usual wild style and she put her fingers through them gently again before resting her hands on his shoulders. Alice closed her eyes again to reorient herself and then half-opened them again to see his smug grin. She flicked her tongue across her lips slowly when she met his eyes. He seemed pleased with himself and she quirked an eyebrow up at him, one hand quickly unbuttoning his trousers. That earned her a bit of a diversion when he glanced down at her hand, having that slightly wary look he sometimes carried around her. His trousers unsnapped easily, Hatter giving a loud gulp as she tugged them open so that they were sagging around his hips. She leaned forward and kissed him, pulling him in tight so that he pressed her into the door while she stroked him. That he was just as excited by her as she was by him was almost as arousing as his touch and Alice kept him close. Then he was breaking the kiss and resting his mouth just against her cheek, and she felt the shiver that went through him.

Hatter's fingers slid from her body and Alice put her hands on his shoulders to help him boost her against the door, his hands cupping her thighs with a hard grip. The smooth door made a resounding thud as she landed against it, the back of her head bumping it. She slid slowly down, giving a soft gasp as he pushed inside of her, the hitching sound burning in her throat. Hatter seemed to tremble at the sound, his forehead resting on the door beside her ear.

"I still love that sound," he whispered against her ear, shifting his hips as he buried himself deeper inside her. She gasped again and he chuckled against her ear, the sound making her smile. They stayed still for a moment, his shoulders trembling as he held her upright against the door. Alice wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, squirming against him when she decided he was standing too still for too long. Hatter smiled against her mouth. Then he was swinging her around in his arms, staggering half way through the room and barely managing to make it to his bed.

He fell hard onto the bed with her, the leather material of his pants chafing at her skin when she tried to move higher on the bed. He supported her just a bit more before he lost his grip and had to move onto his knees again. Clinging to him with her legs, Alice shoved her hips impatiently at him. Hatter's eyes almost rolled back into his head, taking a steadying breath. It barely worked, making him give up so that he began to thrust erratically against her. She pulled his head to her, her lips devouring his as he pushed harder into her, his tongue meeting hers furiously. It was as if he were trying to taste all of her and she struggled to match him.

Alice could have sworn she could hear her blood pounding in her ears again when she kissed him, the only sound accompanying it being their heavy breathing when they broke the kiss. He gave her another peck, feeling her moan brush out over his own lips when she finally let it out. She felt his hands grip her thighs tighter while Alice wrapped herself around Hatter's body and struggled to keep to his rhythm. His mouth turned over and he brushed his lips over hers again. Hatter's hand left her thighs to cup the back of her neck, tilting her head to deepen the kiss further before he dropped the hand and kneaded her breast roughly beneath the shirt.

She bit at his lower lip harder than she intended, hearing him moan while he tightened his one hand around her. Alice sank her nails sharply into his coat so that he felt it even through his coat and he lifted his head slightly. He snarled something nonsensical against her mouth, his eyes dark when she managed to look at him. This type of darkness didn't frighten her though, the loss of control in him didn't make her hesitate...this dark look she knew. Flicking her tongue across her lips, she met his eyes and grinned. He kissed her again, leaning hard into her while his hand guided her hips up and down with his. Alice tore her mouth away as the pleasure became intense again, her eyes shut tightly while he rested his head on the mattress again and continued to thrust into her willing body. The thrusts were still slow but hard and Alice tightened her thighs around his waist to hold him in place. He was trembling, letting her know that he was just as close she was, and she pushed her hips against him in a circle. The rhythm changed just enough that she began to feel the sparks of release starting to thrum in her body and she cried out against his neck.

"My Alice..." Hatter whispered suddenly against her ear. Hearing the soft endearment made her world explode and she clutched him hard against her body, crying out at the sensation. She felt the leather of his coat give beneath her fingernails when she clutched hard into him, her neck thrown back as she cried out his name. Hatter bent his head to her shoulder and thrust blindly into her, his own cry muffled by her neck as he shook in her arms.

Still unable to move, Alice tried to gain her breath, moaning slightly when he shifted in her arms again. She stayed wrapped around him, her legs still tight around his hips that he couldn't move. Her heart was hammering away against her rib cage and she could feel his pounding at the same frantic pace. Hatter was panting against her neck and for a moment she wondered how this could have happened so fast. So fast but still she felt exhausted and yet... happy. It was a good exhaustion, the warm feeling a wonderful one.

By the time she and Hatter managed to slow their breathing, Alice opened her eyes to glance around the room around them. Hatter didn't move his head even when she shifted underneath him, still embedded so deeply in her that the movements made an aftershock go through her body that made her stifle another moan.

"I don't think," Alice said, clearing her throat, "that this is what Jack meant by search the rooms."

Hatter snorted against her neck in amusement.

"I'm thinking he actually meant search the rooms," Alice pointed out, trying not to giggle as well. Hatter's head lifted from her shoulder finally, turning slighty so that his mouth brushed hers.

"I like to think of this as productive time we spent. I had to thoroughly search you to make sure you were as unhurt as you claimed. You had to thoroughly check me to make sure I was fine as well. Head to toe search and very thorough." He grinned. "Productive, wouldn't you say?"

Alice smiled. "I would have preferred you to have done that a day ago."

"I thought about throwing you up against the trough back at Charlie's. And one of the trees we passed...and kidnapping you aboard the ferry," he admitted and she smiled in amusement as he rambled. "But ... I think that having just a bit of patience certainly did make it worth it? I may have to try this whole 'have patience' thing a bit more when it comes to you."

Alice felt her pounding heart start to slow and she smiled against his mouth.


	34. Devious Caucus

There was the constant snick of boots on metal when they slowly went down the long ladder from Hatter's home, Alice following everyone slowly and making sure to not look down. Hatter had gone down first and she had to suck up her own fear of heights when the others had gone without a complaint. It had been awkward enough having to eat a small ration of bread and cheese when she and Hatter disappeared for nearly half an hour on their own, though it was clear by Jack's averted gaze that it could have been far more awkward if it wasn't for his discretion. Thanks to that minor slice of embarrassment, she wasn't about to let everyone know how terrified she was of these heights. Alice's arms were already sore from the long descent down the ladder and she had to keep stopping to adjust the gloves Hatter had found for her. The metal was cold and slick, making the ladder rather dangerous, but Hatter had insisted that this was the best way to go back to the horses, rather than the front door. He had a feeling that the door was being watched and considering how right he had been about being followed the other times, they had been inclined to believe him.

Glancing over her shoulder, Alice swallowed the nausea and dizziness down and saw that Hatter had stepped off onto a ledge. Charlie dangled for a moment before Hatter grabbed hold of him and helped him onto the ledge as well, doing the same with Jack and the Knave while Alice continued down the ladder. Knowing her fear of heights and the likelihood that she would just never let go of the ladder, Hatter had her by the waist and off the ladder before she realized it. She clung to him gratefully as his hands cupped her hips, letting her slip down as she held onto him.

"Not so bad?" he asked in her ear and she gave him a shaky smile, not daring to look back at the ladder. She was gripping his coat tightly and took a deep breath in and out, before dropping her hands to his. Hatter squeezed her hands gently, giving her a warm smile that made her relax finally before he turned away.

"We'll need to go quickly. If we're lucky, the horses are still tied where we left them and haven't been noticed," Jack said.

"My loyal Arthur would never leave my side nor flee from battle!" Charlie exclaimed as if Jack had insulted him. Hatter gave him a look and the Knight sniffed. "Well...not from this battle."

"Right."

Hatter led them between the buildings, the silence rather eerie now as they snuck around the ledges and through the paths. All signs of grass and plant life were either coated in a light carpet of snow or burned away, the wind still chilling but no longer carrying the drifts of snow they had first come across when they had come up this far. The buildings themselves looked more abandoned than normal, many of the windows broken or shattered, doors split apart and checkerboards painted on the walls. A sight that made Jack's jaw tense tighter and made Hatter clench his fingers tight around the scroll of an old map he had found in his cabinets. After the days wandering the wild Checkerboard Taiga, seeing their home city so quiet and void of life was a startling reminder of the danger that everyone was in. No one found real comfort with the weapons they were armed with, Hatter's better assortment having been confiscated months ago. He had managed to find smaller guns for himself, Jack and the Knave, Alice preferring not to carry one but at his insistence she chose to carry a small knife 'just in case'. Whatever 'just in case' meant, Alice was not very certain and she knew that Charlie was just as unenthusiastic as she was about it when he had had his old sword criticized by all three men.

The horses stood exactly where they had left them, grazing on what grass was left near the broken poles they were tethered to. Guinevere pricked her ears forward and whinnied loudly when she saw Hatter. The other horses looked up as well, eager to be moving on as well. They were shivering, still exposed in the cool winds, and though they were happy to move on, all of them were resistant to going back down into the hidden tunnels they had come from.

Alice slid into a bit of a stupor as she clung to the back of Hatter's saddle. It was easy to do the further into the Underground tunnel they went, Guinevere's swaying walk disturbed now and then by the occasional stumble. Hatter wasn't speaking much anymore as he guided the mare along the paths to the turns they had taken before. He went the other way this time, turning the mare slowly and waiting for the others to catch up. When they started off again, making their way carefully down further and further, he put his hand back to rest on her knee, his thumb making absentminded circles. Alice forced herself not to think about it, though it did bring out some good memories and recent ones at that.

Hatter was taking them deep into the Underground now, taking a turn here and there, always flicking out his map to check where they were and following some internal distance meter. Alice caught a glimpse of the map and barely understood it. It was like the sort of maze game that would be on the back of a children's' place-mat , but the lines were wavy and curved. There was no clear direction, north or south, and yet Hatter seemed to read it just fine. Not even maps could be normal in Wonderland, Alice thought.

Still, the ride was growing tense and too quiet.

"Tell me something about this Underground...the tunnels. You weren't really clear on it," Alice said in Hatter's ear. "What are they? Where did they come from?"

He shrugged, lower lip thrusting forward as he thought about it. "I think that they were here before the City but I don't actually know. I just used them all the time, know my way, but when it comes to history of them, I don't have the slightest idea."

Alice sighed hard in exasperation and he glanced over his shoulder, realizing why she was asking. She thought that the silence was too much and he was rather inclined to agree with her. Grinning, he looked back to where they were going before saying loudly over his shoulder, "Oi! Jackie boy!"

"Will you stop calling me that!" Jack ordered. "It is unbelievably irritating."

Alice hid her own grin, knowing that Hatter was doing it deliberately.

"First thing on my list to do, you know. Alice here would like a bit of a history lesson. I figured to myself that with all your fine education and what not that you might actually knowing something beyond which forks to use at an unbirthday party. You know, something useful," Hatter said, making it seem like he was paying Jack a compliment. Alice heard the other man grumbling as he jogged his horse up beside Guinevere. She flashed him a smile and he seem to relax just a bit.

"The tunnels?" he asked of her and she nodded. "They were here when the Kingdom of Knights was still the capital of Wonderland. They used to be a hedge-maze and the only thing on the grounds was my ancestor's palace. The hedges were immense, my tutors told me, and very strong, as much a fortress as the palace was."

The tunnel they were in suddenly widened into a cavern, the walls high and dark, the lanterns still decorating the edges. Alice looked up to see that there were thick vines trailing along the ceiling.

"As the Wars began and Wonderland grew, we had Oysters travelling in and out of Wonderland through odd conduits. One told my great grandfather of a city, described the immense buildings and how people lived high off the ground. We were growing fast, people wanting to live away from the wildness of the Taiga. My great-grandfather realized how this could solve his problems: there wasn't enough room for sprawling estates but there was room to go up. He even had the dams broken down and flooded the base to create waterways for shipping trades," Jack explained.

"And after the Wars this place became the capital?" Alice asked as they passed back into another low tunnel.

"One of the only cities left really," Hatter interrupted. "There are few here and there. It's easier to control people when they are all in one location."

"Exactly," Jack said, unashamed to admit it. "My grandfather and my mother just kept letting the city build higher and higher. More people came for protection, more stayed to try to build lives for themselves. As the lower levels became...unsavoury, they moved up in the buildings. Then, new buildings were built atop the old. The tunnels though, once the hedges, survived. Perfect for smugglers and the like. They were too strong to destroy, so they were built on top of."

"And they're too vast to track, to map thoroughly. Everything here can be a bit..." Hatter paused as they came to a dead end. "Tricky."

They were faced with nothing but a vine covered wall.

"Brilliant," the Knave said. "It would be too much to ask that one thing go right."

Hatter huffed, hearing Charlie murmuring an agreement. Perfect. Let the two old buggers agree then. "I was certain that this was the right way." He dismounted, leaving Alice to scoot forward and keep Guinevere still. He flicked the map out and held it up to one of the lanterns, frowning down at it. "We did go the right way," he whispered, eyeing the wall suspiciously.

"Guess we have to go back then," Charlie commented wearily, rubbing at his backside. He and the Knave already had their horses turned round when Hatter flicked the map shut with a snap of his wrist.

"Hold on."

"As fascinating as a wall is," the Knave started but Hatter was ignoring him, taking his fedora off. He flipped it from hand to hand mindlessly and tipped his head on the side. Alice found it more disturbing when she heard him talking to himself and repeating the same riddle over and over again.

"When you haven't got it, you want it. When you have it, you can't keep it," Hatter repeated lowly to himself before shaking himself out of the strange dark feeling. He paused finally. Hatter looked down at his hat before he suddenly flung it out sharply. The hat spun in a curved arc, striking the wall before coming back impossibly fast like a boomerang to Hatter's waiting hand.

They stared as the wall shimmered but Jack grinned while he watched. "A holograph," he whispered and the wall suddenly disappeared completely, showing yet another tunnel. Hatter grinned as well, pleased with himself, while he flipped his hat back onto his head. He turned, still smiling.

"Of all the people to survive the Red King, why, oh why, would one of them be a backwater crawling, double crossing con artist?"

Hatter stiffened and turned, staring into the darkness. Alice recognized the voice as well and squinted to try to see. There was the sound of guns being cocked while a lantern was lit, revealing a husky shape. Jack and the Knave put their hands to their holsters quickly but Hatter made no move to do so. The heavily set man that appeared out of the shadows bore a lantern that lit up himself and five other men heavily armed. Hatter gave him a tight smile.

"Dodo."

"Hands in the air, Hatter." He pointed a shotgun at Hatter's right. "That one especially." Hatter did it grudgingly, more amused than anything else. Dodo's eyes flicked from Hatter to Alice. "The Oyster, Alice."

Alice glared at him, tightening her fingers on Guinevere's reins. Dodo looked at Jack then and his face showed open surprise.

"Your Majesty, you're travelling with...Hatter?" Dodo asked.

Jack nodded but he glared at Dodo. "What exactly do you think you are doing?" he demanded.

"We're gathered down in the Underground, the remaining free Wonderlanders. There aren't many," Dodo answered but his gun was still trained on Hatter. The other men behind him were still tense, still aiming their weapons at the intruders.

"How many are down here?" Alice asked.

"A fair share."

"We shouldn't be staying so still, especially still close to the entry point," said one of the men behind Dodo, his long hooked nose twitching as if he were smelling the air. The Knave moved his horse closer to Jack's, his hand touching Jack's shoulder.

"We should get a move on if they are just going to threaten us," the Knave murmured and Dodo looked at him furiously.

"We are trying to protect the people of Wonderland from the likes of the Red King."

"You're doing a fine job, considering how empty the city is," Alice snapped. Dodo swung his gun toward Alice when she spoke, as if daring her to continue but Hatter was in the way again. Dodo raised his gun towards Hatter's face and immediately doubled over when Hatter slammed his left fist into his stomach.

"Back off, Dodo," Hatter growled, not caring about the guns being cocked and the men shouting around them. Dodo coughed and righted himself, feeling winded.

"Still protecting that girl?" he asked snidely. Hatter glared at him.

"Don't need to but if you raise a gun at any of my friends again, I'll use my right hand next time."

The threat hung between them but Dodo was more surprised than angry. Hatter had never before claimed ownership or friendship for anyone. The boy had changed somehow and Dodo wasn't sure why. Hatter still stood between where Alice sat on Guinevere and Dodo, unmindful of the gun being pointed at his stomach. The older man thought it over and then realized Hatter's unspoken change of heart.

The girl was responsible. Now that was something he would have never expected.

Dodo lowered his gun and eyed Charlie next, eyebrows almost meeting his hairline at his surprise. But the White Knight was too busy checking his armour to notice his look. Dodo sighed, exasperated now, and glanced over at his own men.

"We've got nothing to worry about from these five. Stand down," he ordered.

Two of them came forward and Hatter recognized them as one time members of Dodo's own 'security'. They had all bore code names at the time: Eagle for his beaky nose and Lory for his multi-coloured hair. As Hatter recalled, he didn't like either of them any more than he liked Dodo. The others were random members of the Resistance, old members that he was sure were even older than Charlie.

Dodo turned away from Hatter to Jack, who was still sitting atop his horse. The young man was sitting relaxed, content to have Dodo stare up at him. The old Resistance leader grumbled to himself before nodding to Jack. "We were waiting to see if any of the newer Cards survived."

"I did, so did the Knave. The rest of the court," Jack paused and Lory snorted.

"Left them to die did you?"

"Lory," Dodo warned but the Knave had heard him.

"If you want to stay standing, shut your mouth," the Knave warned and Alice looked at him in surprise. The Knave had spoken so severely that almost seemed out of character for him. He had always been non-chalant through their travels, never had really taken such role like this. Even Hatter glanced at him in surprise. The threat did make the two guards back down though and Dodo even seemed to straighten up in respect.

"You can come with us," Dodo said but his eyes were on Hatter. "And you'll keep yourself in check. I see that right hand go out, you're shot and buried."

Hatter didn't say a word, his eyes amused and the expression infuriated the older man. Determined to not let Hatter know that he was getting to him, Dodo sniffed and turned around, order his men about. Alice and the others dismounted, Alice leading Guinevere to Hatter's side. "Still doesn't like you, I see," she whispered as she slid her hand into his. The act was as natural as breathing now and he smiled at her.

"Nah. But then, he never did like me much, even when I was a kid. Crotchety old thing but he has his uses," Hatter answered with a wink. Alice grinned, finding the irony in being brought back into contact with Dodo rather funny. What else was she going to do? Find it infuriating? It was but seeing Dodo jump like an eager lapdog do to Jack's bidding that was likely to prove entertaining.

 _Oh no,_ Alice thought _, I'm starting to think like Hatter now._

He caught her eyes and read her thoughts in her shocked eyes. Hatter leaned closer and kissed her temple. "I know...scary isn't it?"

"You have no idea," she whispered back.

He was still grinning as Dodo led them around a flurry of tight bends and corners, too many to count or track. Hatter would check his map now and then but nothing was recognizable. When they passed into another cavern, this one low and filled with pocketed caves accented by carved out stone pillars, Hatter had to check his map one more time. For all of Dodo's attitude about secrecy, by his calculation they were just below the building of The Great Library . Hatter tucked the map away and held Alice's hand loosely, seeing the vast amount of books stacked and tossed about carelessly. There were many people huddled around lanterns talking but when they saw the newcomers they clammed up. They were just as diverse as the books, people of every Wonderland race and status, all bearing wary and down-trodden expressions. A few guards came and took the horses' reins, leading the weary animals over near moss-covered rocks and a small water trough where several other horses were tied.

Yet Dodo led them past to another small tunnel, this one dark and twisting before widening into a warm and bright cave. This one had several women and men serving hot but weak black tea to a group of people still dusted with snow and shivering. Hatter, always the tea connoisseur, wrinkled his nose at the smell of the tea. Alice was more stunned by the sight of the people, some shaking so badly and with skin tinged blue from the cold.

"This group came in just a few hours ago, escaping from the Red King where he's taken up residence at the Heart Palace. Few of them died when they reached here, their wounds were too terrible. Few of them are still being treated," Dodo explained. "But they all had stories about the Red King's growing power."

Hatter looked around the group, noticing Duck holding Owl close and encouraging the tiny woman to sip tea. Others he didn't know but they all seemed to have been devastated by their experience. Letting Alice's hand go, he let Jack pass him and glanced over his shoulder. Huddled into his suit with his head buried halfway down his collar was Dormie, sleeping up against one of the walls of the cave, his moustache and nose twitching now and then. His massive collar was stained with blood and dirt but Dormie was breathing easily enough. "Dormie?" Hatter asked as he stepped over a sleeping man and knelt before his employee. Charlie and Alice followed, Alice suddenly feeling the eyes of every person on her. She put a hand on Hatter's shoulder when she reached him.

"Dormie warily cracked open an eye, sighing with relief when he saw Hatter. "Boss! They caught you too, eh?" he asked. Hatter frowned.

"Caught us? Who?"

Dormie's nose twitched again. "They kill us both then?"

"Of course they didn't!" Hatter exclaimed. "What in Wonderland are you talking about?"

Alice glanced over her shoulder and saw that Charlie was looking at Dormie in worry.

"Those Knights of his. Vicious little things. Did the best I could to save the shop, got everyone out but they snagged me before I could make it. Don't worry, this cell ain't so bad when you get used to it or to the mind searching that those Examiners do. Only one who has it real bad is that Duchess," Dormie said, his glazed eyes flickering over Hatter's face. Hatter realized in dismay that Dormie was likely delirious, but Jack moved Charlie out of the way and dropped down beside Hatter.

"Amelia? You've seen her?" he demanded.

Hatter sighed, watching Dormie shrink back from Jack with wide eyes. The little Dormouse was not likely to respond to Jack and Hatter snapped his fingers before Dormie's bright eyes to grab his attention. "Dormie, what happened to the Duchess?"

"Well, Hatter. From what I've been able to gather...the Red King likes her," Dormie said in the sort of voice he would use when giving out gossip. Hatter and Jack both stiffened and looked at each other for a moment.

"Likes her...what do you mean by that?" Hatter asked and Dormie nodded, nose almost buried in his collar now.

"He likes her likes her. Not in that pleasant way that is any good for her but in the way that some men would like her."

Jack's face went a ghastly white and without thinking about it Hatter put his hand on Jack's shoulder to steady him. He saw Jack's face fall and his eyes shut and he gave his shoulder a squeeze, not sure how to reassure the other man. Dormie was falling asleep again, his head dropping down into his collar with his eyes shut, and the two men stood once more. Dodo stood some distance away from them, the Knave staring stoically at the wall.

"Many of them are like that," Dodo said solemnly. "They've escaped but they are still stuck back at the Palace. Whatever was done to them has a good hold."

"Is there anything we could do?" Alice asked as she turned toward him. His large eyes flickered over her face for a moment before looking at Hatter and Jack.

"We've tried to get them to talk for the past hours they've been here but only a few are coherent. They are in being talked to but even they aren't as talkative as they should be. There are problems. One has even started to turn into one of those things; we've had to lock him up and post a guard."

"Into a Knight?" Charlie asked and when Dodo nodded, he scoffed. "Surely not! I am a Knight, good sir, and that process, the learning, takes years of study!"

Dodo stared at him for moment before turning to Jack and Hatter. "We barely chance going above ground but they had a boy with them, Mouse, who knew of the tunnels. He and a Suit were able to contact us."

"No sign of the Red King's men?" Alice asked and he shook his head.

"Not yet. Which is why those dead ends are in place," he answered before they heard the sound of shouting. A thin man, tiny eyed and blonde, suddenly sprinted in the room and barely missed falling over one of the sleeping people. He was gasping for breath.

"Sir!" he managed and Dodo sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"What is it, Midge? More refugees?"

"No! No, sir." Midge swallowed. "That Suit, the one you asked me to keep an eye on. He's turning!"

Dodo dropped his lantern and ran out of the cavern behind Midge, Alice close on his heels. Jack clapped the Knave on the shoulder and the pale man nodded, holding Charlie back as Jack and Hatter followed the others out the door. Jack wanted him to speak to these people, something that maybe the more sympathetic Charlie would have more ease at doing.

Alice skittered around a corner as she followed Dodo, jerking to a halt outside a makeshift door created before another cave. Lory and Eagle were standing outside the door, wringing their hands nervously. Dodo looked at them and Lory opened the door, standing close to the side. Alice, Jack and Hatter crowded close behind Dodo, Hatter moving the older man out of the way finally and stepping into the small cave with Alice and Jack. They stood just inside the opening, staring at the man lying twitching on his side and whose twisted body was now lit up by the lanterns that had been put there.

Jack ran his eyes over the torn clothing and recognized the familiarity of the Suit's face. "He's a Spade, one of the ones I instructed to try to keep Amelia safe."

"He doesn't look a Suit right now," Hatter answered. Alice nodded her agreement, the man's face seeming to have changed and become very long. His nose had melded into the bones of his face and his eyes were now almond shaped and set deep into his skull. He was groaning in pain, clutching at his face desperately to try to stop the process. From what they could see, his body was badly batttered.

"He's in pain. Whatever is happening to him..can't we do anything?" Alice asked. Behind them, Dodo had stepped into the small cell.

"Yes we can," he snapped, and they heard a gun being cocked. Alice whirled on her heel, taking in the handgun and Dodo's cold expression quickly.

"What are you doing?" she demanded and the two men beside her turned as well.

"He is as good as dead! In a matter of minutes, he will be in the Red King's power and will likely kill us!" Dodo snapped, his expression hard and determined to do what he thought was right. "Get out of my way!"

He went to grab her arm and Alice threw his hand off furiously. "He's innocent! How can you just...just kill someone? Maybe he can be healed, maybe he can't but what gives you the right to just kill him? He might not... "

Almost growling in irritation, Dodo looked at Hatter and gestured rudely at Alice. "Talk some sense into your lover, will you?"

Hatter glared back at him. "I'm with Alice on this one."

"You of all people? You who are renowned for doing what needs to be done to survive? You're about to give me a morality lesson?" he asked incredulously. Hatter gave him a grin. Jack nodded as well.

"This isn't right," he said.

"This is insanity!" Dodo roared at Hatter, having believed that Jack would side with him, and Hatter nodded. He turned and looked at Jack, tipping his hat back a bit to look at the taller man.

"And again, seems so fitting being that I'm around yeah?" he asked Jack gleefully and the King, astonishingly, gave a nod.

Alice felt a sudden relief to see the pair of them siding with her and relaxed enough to stop feeling so on-edge. Her eyes went to Dodo just before she felt a hand wrapping around her ankle. She whirled and saw the Suit trembling at her feet, whimpering while his face continued to elongate. She went to scream but he was tugging her down so that she landed on her knees in front of him. When he went to grab at her throat, Hatter and Jack moved forward to help her.

"Don't!" Alice snapped, her hands capturing the Suit's. She wasn't sure who she spoke to but Hatter and Jack stopped themselves while Alice clenched her fingers around the Suit's. He froze just as quickly as the other men. Alice stared at him, seeing the usual identical look that all the Suits had beneath this grotesquely changing face. His hands fisted in her grip but he no longer struggled against her.

"Stop it," Alice ordered. "What happened?"

The Suit's mouth, now fanged and distorted, twisted. "Mists and grabbed."

Alice looked over her shoulder at Hatter and he shook his head at her. Looking back at the Suit, feeling his crushing grip on her hands, Alice wondered where she found the nerve to do this. Yet it was like her experience with the Crows: she hadn't known then why she could persuade them to talk to her but she was determined to try to save the Suit from execution or becoming a Knight. His eyes were tinged red now and Alice swallowed her fear to look back at him with a straight gaze. "I wish I could help you," she whispered.

"Told her I'd save them all, I did..." he said, his voice a whimpering tone. "Just couldn't run hard enough to save me. Saved the boy...saved the others. Then that power wrapped around me...felt such fear...such hate. Betrayed"

Alice, her hand shaking, reached out and stroked her fingers down his horse-like face. "I'm so sorry."

Dodo snarled something behind her and Hatter turned his head to snap something in return. Jack nudged him though and Hatter looked back around to see that the glow he had witnessed Alice having earlier now seemed to shimmer brighter. The glow had turned aside the mists and had disappeared somewhat since they had entered the tunnel. She seemed so terribly sincere and sympathetic, beyond what Hatter had seen, as if she truly felt the Suit's pain. Alice herself felt an odd displaced feeling swelling in her, an almost nauseous feeling making her stomach turn furiously. She swallowed, her mouth going bone dry, and forced herself to focus on the Suit.

"You did what you were supposed to do," Alice said. "But you were punished for it."

His reddened eyes met hers and Alice flattened her fingers against his cheek, watching as he trembled. His skin, already a ghastly pink and red shade, seemed to drain of colour. Alice felt like she was choking herself on something thick in her throat and she coughed, lowering her head so that her forehead brushed his. The Suit gave a whimper and Alice felt breathless, imagining what it would feel like to be this way. So terrified and knowing that you were going to change into a monster set out to kill innocent people.

"How could she have let this happen? All of this?" Alice whispered aloud, suddenly furious. "How can this be fair?"

The glow from her fingers seemed to linger on the Suit's skin, absorbing like a strange powder into his skin, and Alice exhaled slightly, still torn inside by the thought of the Suit's fear. He shivered against her grip and then began to twist slightly, his face still touching her hands as he moaned. Standing behind Alice, Hatter and Jack both watched in open-mouthed amazement as the transformed face began to reverse itself. The bones ground against each other, the sound screeching through the tiny cell, the Suit crying out in pain while Alice could only stare at him. In her mind she could see what he should have looked like but Alice only really thought of how he probably felt. Thought on it and thought of the thousands of Wonderlands trapped in a similar fate. Not knowing why, she felt a tear track down her cheek and lowered her eyes, shaking as badly as he was.

When she looked back at him, his face had changed back to that of a man and he was staring at her, stupefied and still in agony. Alice stared back, confused and still touching his bruised face. Behind her, Dodo stared at the change in the man and realized just what potential this could have, saw the way out he had been searching for. He looked at the Suit, then at Alice, and his fingers tightened around the butt of his gun.

"Perhaps we do have what we need to negotiate freedom now," he said lowly and Hatter whirled on him.

"You even think about it..." Hatter threw up his hands when Dodo looked at him intently. "Why am I not surprised?"

"The Red King could let us go. We negotiate we could save lives," Dodo began.

"Not likely. You know better, mate." Hatter looked behind at Alice and she and the Suit were still sitting still, staring at one another like they were the most fascinating sights they had had ever seen. Taking advantage of Hatter's distraction, Dodo stepped forward when Hatter turned back around and pressed his gun against Hatter's stomach threateningly.

"I have people dying in the Underground now because of some Red King being released! Every peace we had hoped to have... gone! All because of this old magic he uses and some vile plans he has forged!" Dodo snapped and Hatter put his hands up, trying to calm the man down. Dodo was rapidly going red, his breathing short, and if he had been another man he likely would have fainted from his own anger. But Hatter knew Dodo, knew that the man was very dangerous if not a bit overly ambitious, and kept himself calm. Dodo leaned slightly away from him to look down at Alice, his attention and his gun wavering for just a moment.

Jack, standing quiet beside Hatter until now, turned on his heel and without flinching slammed his fist into Dodo's face, sending the man reeling back into Lory and Eagle. For just a moment, Hatter had an impressed look that he wiped off his face quickly and Dodo sputtered back while getting back onto his feet. He grasped his jaw and stared in disbelief at Jack, the gun lying on the ground between them. The King stared him down while shaking his hand out.

"Alice is with us, Dodo, and I swear to you that if you do a thing to harm her, you'll not have just Hatter to worry about. We are going to destroy the Red King, with or without your help," Jack answered. Dodo gave him a disgusted look.

"If you want to threaten someone, please do so when you have leverage," Dodo stated smugly and Jack gave him a cold smile. Hatter slipped back, touching Alice's shoulder before he made her stand and she shivered, looking up at him and then at Jack. Hatter put an arm around her shoulders and felt how cold she had become.

Jack nodded. "You're right. That's the first lesson my mother taught me."

Dodo froze as the muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his skull. Behind him, the Knave gave Lory and Eagle a warning look that did more to intimidate them than Charlie did with his half-raised sword. Hatter pulled Alice closer against his side and then looked down at the Suit. The man was getting to his feet, staring about himself in wonder while he gently touched his own face. Dodo looked at Hatter, almost pleading with him, and Hatter shook his head.

"Give us help, Dodo, or stay out of our way," Jack said. Dodo swallowed the lump in his throat, struggling to maintain the look of a dignified leader.

"You can stay till dawn then you are on your way. We're not about to join a suicide mission into the Palace," Dodo answered. Jack nodded and the Knave backed off. Hatter looked at Alice, seeing that her glow was less bright, that she was tired, and he nudged Jack. The King saw it as well and then looked back at Dodo.

"But you are going to help us get into the Palace."

The thread of command laced into his words made Dodo back down himself, nodding his head respectfully.


	35. Announced Mate

The holographic map of Wonderland whizzed up from the tiny egg on the table, the map twisting and turning as it followed the instructions that had been keyed into its memory. Alice kept her eyes on the map despite the insane amount of colours and images that flashed around, feeling slightly dizzy at the sight of it. There was so much to look at that she didn't catch sight of anything meaningful beyond a few buildings that she recognized. The colours changed from red to green to blue and then back to the almost realistic colouring of the city. The map twirled up into the air and hung there, levels of buildings dropping in a strange version of the city that was almost three-dimensional. Beside her, Hatter clicked his tongue and raised his eyebrows.

"Impressive. Cost you what...four or five to get this?" he asked Dodo from across the table. The man ground his teeth in irritation and Alice looked at Hatter, the blue light of the map tinting her pale skin with a glow.

"Four or five what?" she asked curiously.

Hatter thought about answering that question and then made a face. "Nah, don't ask."

"If I could have your attention," Dodo insisted and Hatter looked back at him, amused. Dodo glared at him for a moment before looking around. Dodo had ordered many of the Resistance into the room and there were several of the people that had been saved from Palace crowded into the small cave as well. When they had learned at their ruler was there, that he and his small group were planning to destroy the Red King, many had shown up just to see what kind of suicidal condition they must be in to try something so ridiculous. Dodo clicked something at his side and the map zoomed in to show a vast amount of tunnels. "You're all wanting to go back up to the palace grounds. Centre of the city."

"That's the plan," Jack agreed. For the past ten minutes he hadn't spoken to anyone but he was unbothered by their new audience. He ran his fingers over the edges of the map in the air. "Is there a tunnel that leads closer?"

"Astonishingly..." Dodo broke off. "No."

"The closest you can get is through the tunnel that leads to several buildings a block away. Might be the closest you want to get, considering the Knights wandering around," Eagle said from beside Dodo. He drew a circle around one of the tunnels with a pen, a red light surrounding it now. "Each of these are quickly getting Knights surrounding the entrances. There's only... three or four left."

"What I don't understand is why it is so desperate for you all to get there so quickly," Dodo admitted. "I would say wait for his guard to be let down."

"The White Queen is with him," the Knave said and Dodo frowned. There was a collective gasp from the surrounding crowd and Hatter looked over his shoulder at them.

"And she is a harridan. She holds the Sceptre," Charlie continued for the Knave. Hiding shock, Dodo squinted his eyes at him and then Jack.

"That is why you left Wonderland City? To chase some legend?" he demanded. Jack stared imperiously back at him, still the royal Card in his persona.

"It is no legend. The Taiga did hold it. We found the Sceptre and Alice felt its power herself before it was stolen," he answered tersely. Alice stiffened as a roomful of people turned their attention to her, some of their expressions hardly friendly.

"We found it in the Manor," she began and Dodo snorted.

"How are we to know that you all didn't just bargain with the White Queen for some advantage? That you just didn't decide to pit Royal against Royal?" he asked. Hatter gave an agreeable nod, as if he were in complete agreement with him.

"True...but fortunately, they had me," he said with a grin. Dodo glared at him.

"So where is it now? With the White Queen. Some vast and brilliant plan, your Majesty," Dodo snipped. Jack flinched, well aware of the shortcomings that had occurred. Dodo cleared his throat, delighted to have stung the King of Wonderland so easily. Hatter and Alice glanced at each other. "That still does not explain why you are pushing to get there so quickly. She can do nothing with the Sceptre without the Stone of Wonderland. Perhaps some waving about like your mother did but it is not to cause to great a concern. Even if she were to possess the Stone, the Sceptre would not work to its full power. We should focus our efforts on taking out the Knights and building resources."

"Oh, there is cause for concern," Alice whispered, one hand touching her neck and remembering.

"Why? Because she stole your mark?" Charlie asked. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "She could not possibly..."

"She can, Charlie," Hatter said, turning on his heel and walking a small frustrated circle. Alice watched him, wanting nothing more than to go to him but not knowing how he was really feeling.

Jack looked between Hatter and Alice. "I am hoping that one of you will care to explain this time."

"I wasn't sure until just before the Ferry. But the more I've thought on it, the more it's start to come together. Everything we've seen since I've come back here...everything..." Alice sighed, noticing the blank looks she was getting. "Hatter. Tell them."

She thought he was going to ignore her request when he tensed and took his hat off, rolling the hat down one arm and then the other nervously. Then he turned around and faced them all. He looked uncomfortable, speaking in such a large crowd of people, but when he met her eyes and saw her insistence, he did as she asked.

"Right. One of the...secrets my Da kept was about the White Queen. In the first chess game, the Dowager White Queen, Matilda, died of exhaustion. The Red Queen, Archibades' first wife, wore her out in the game to kill her. Alice the First had entered the game and prevented the Red Queen from killing the White Queen with one of her assassins. When the first Alice won the game and all of Wonderland was in an uproar, she was was set to return through the only remaining link to Earth. The Royals had managed to control the entries, as I'm sure his Majesty there recalls."

Hatter nodded to Jack and the young King shrugged.

"She was scheduled to return, my Da was going to take her back himself. She never appeared and when he returned to the White Manor, she was being crowned the White Queen, married to the White King. In order to keep her power, her place as Queen, Alice remained in Wonderland and absorbed it into herself. It made her very very powerful. The Stone was created after that when she gave the order. So that she could control the flow of humans into our world."

"Why did no one remember this?" Alice asked in confusion. Dodo and his men were glancing between them all but Dodo was focussed on Hatter, his face puce with growing anger. The crowd around them were murmuring, confused and overawed by the knowledge of that all their history that they knew could have been changed.

"History is selective, Alice," Jack said, quickly understanding. "She won, she was able to write history in Wonderland...or have a say. It explains why my mother had such raw hatred for her, why she never bargained with her."

Hatter rolled his hat up his arm again. "Everything changed fast in the Taiga after that. Winter came, something none of us knew of, but a season she created to suit her. Everything had to suit her. From the Crows to the Sceptre, everything she touched she changed. Then, one day, that glow was gone, that power was gone, and she lost the ability to use it and put it in trust."

Alice tilted her head up to look at him. "Then she's probably the real threat...why would she join the Red King to destroy Wonderland if she ruled it?"

"Because sometimes, Alice, the fantasy does not match the reality," Jack said, watching Hatter. The young man nodded.

"Her rule went sour after twenty years accordin' to my granddad. She lost her power, her influence, over Wonderland. she could no longer change anything more to suit her needs," Hatter said. "She went...dark. During the Wars, she started to follow the old traditions of executing people before they committed their crimes."

There was dead silence for a moment, the sort that was almost suffocating.

"And you hid this on all of us!" Dodo shouted at Hatter. The younger man jumped at the tone of his voice but Jack and Alice both looked at Dodo.

"What this is, isn't important now. We have too much to do," Jack snapped. Dodo looked between them all, his eyes darting to Hatter and was on the verge of saying more. Hatter met his eyes without flinching.

"If she has the Sceptre, then whatever she and the Red King have planned may be far worse than we guessed," the Knave agreed. Behind them, Alice noticed that several of the other men seemed tense beside Dodo.

"Maybe we should negotiate," someone said.

Hatter squinted his eyes, recognizing the voice. "Bill?"

The thin man came through the ground, bruised and battered. He wasn't looking at Hatter or Alice, focussed instead on Dodo. "We could negotiate to give ourselves time! Time to get out of the city."

"That won't solve anything," Dodo said but his voice was weak. Everything he had thought about this all was falling to pieces. Hatter stepped forward.

"We leave here, they are just going to follow. Negotiate or not. It won't work with them," he argued.

"We could trade the girl. That's probably what the White Queen wants, I say give her what she wants!" Bill insisted, ignoring Hatter. Jack and the Knave looked at each other, the Knave shaking his head as if some unspoken question had been asked.

"Justalice is innocent in this matter!" Charlie said loudly and Hatter nodded.

"Charlie's right. We need to try to get the Sceptre back, to give those legends a shot to drain the Red King of his power. Tradin' Alice is not the way," Hatter argued. "You've no right to suggest it."

Bill gave him a snivelling look from behind his blackened eyes. "You aren't really in position to argue this. A while ago, when you were the go-to man for bargains...maybe. But you clearly fell for this Oyster. You don't speak for us Wonderlanders. You likely went soft as it was!"

"Look, there is no need to get angry about this," Alice said, stepping around Hatter when she saw his fist tighten but he was ignoring her as well.

"You really don't want to test the theory on that," Hatter warned and Bill almost backed down. Then his eyes darted to Alice and she didn't pull back in time when his hand clenched around her arm.

"Let me go!" she yelled, shoving him back and slamming her palm into his solar plexus. He chuffed awkwardly, tumbling back into Dodo. Hatter looked back at Jack but Bill was on his feet quickly, wrenching Dodo's gun from its holster. Dodo swiped a hand at him but the man ducked, darting forward and grabbing Alice's wrist. She froze, feeling the press of the gun against her stomach.

"Your glow won't heal you, girl." Bill turned to the men frozen around him. Dodo's men didn't dare move, some secretly siding with Bill in their thoughts. An Oyster was not worth their trouble. The others saw the desperation in his eyes and worried that maybe it would be better to not move at all.

"You don't want to do this," Jack warned him and Bill pulled Alice close to keep her between them. Alice looked from Jack to Hatter and felt something drop in her stomach at the darkness in his eyes, something she hadn't seen since the Taiga.

_Oh no..._

"I think I might," Bill answered. "We're going to go, her and I. I'll negotiate our release. If any of you think to do anything about it, I'll kill her."

"You did not think to deal with her Knight!" Charlie said from Bill's left and raised his fist. Bill turned quickly, lifting the gun and sending it crashing into Charlie's cheek. The Knight went flying back into the Knave and Alice squirmed down at the sudden lapse in Bill's concentration. There was a soft whistle and she ducked just in time as Hatter sent his right fist crashing into Bill's face.

The thin man went down hard, Hatter following him and lifting him to meet the blows. Alice staggered to her feet, hearing the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh and turned to see that no one was going to help Bill. To stop Hatter.

She leapt for him, her hand going around his elbow. The momentum of his blow nearly jerked her right down onto the ground with Bill but she braced herself, leaning hard into his back. Bill gave a whimper and Alice heard Hatter murmuring mostly to himself. Wrapping her hand around his fist, she felt the fierce blows suddenly stop at her touch.

"Hatter..." she whispered, pressing her mouth against the back of his ear. "Stop it." He froze, eyes clearing just slightly and he released Bill slowly into a broken heap on the floor. Alice felt him relax as she leaned on him and breathed out a sigh of relief. Hatter looked over his shoulder at her as they stood together and she sighed. "Hatter."

"I'm okay," he answered. He drew a deep breath and turned around to her, the strange madness gone from his eyes. "You?"

"I'm okay," she parroted, putting her hand in his.

"I am most certainly **not**!" Charlie whined as the Knave helped him up, cradling his jaw. Jack shook his head, giving Hatter a questioning look that made Alice wonder what the King was thinking. Yet Hatter seemed to understand. The younger man gave a shrug, still holding Alice's hand tightly and she clutched his just as tightly. Dodo was staring at Bill's whimpering body open-mouthed and when Jack cleared his throat he jumped.

"We'll leave near to dawn. I'd appreciate it if you kept your men from trying anything further. There may be no saying what happen otherwise," Jack said coldly. The older man tensed but after a moment nodded, not daring to look at Hatter or Alice.

"Stay the night then."

* * *

Jack loosened the saddle on his horse, pulling the packs and blankets free. The horse grunted thankfully, shaking itself. His own body sore, Jack loosened his coat and shirt collar after he dumped the saddle onto the ground. The other horses were untacked and dozing. An excellent plan, Jack thought. His face was drawn into tight lights of exhaustion and he sat on the bale of hay nearby, rubbing his hands over his face. What he wouldn't give for a soft bed and a stiff drink right about now.

He still had his hands in his face when he realized he was being watched. Still tense over the earlier confrontation, he carefully looked up and met the curious gaze of a young boy. The boy had a leg encased in plaster, propped up on a water bucket near the horses' trough of water, his blonde hair in dirty disarray about his face. He looked just as tired as Jack felt, bruises fading on his cheeks.

"You're the King," the boy declared and Jack ran his eyes over him, recognizing him.

"You were the boy who helped us earlier, who ran the ferry out. Mouse?" Jack asked and the boy grinned, delighted that Jack knew him.

"Yep." He scooted the bucket closer to Jack.

"Well...nice to see you again," Jack said, not sure why the boy was staring so intently at him. He looked down at the plaster again. The boy followed his gaze and fidgeted nervously.

"I broke my leg..." Mouse twitched. "Well...that's not true. They broke my leg."

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

"Yeah..."

They sat in silence for a moment, an awkward pair of a refined but downcast King and a scrappy common boy. Mouse cleared his throat first and picked at the plaster on his leg.

"You...you got a woman."

The awkward phrasing made the boy blush and Jack looked at him. "Say again?"

"The Duchess...Amelia. I met her," Mouse said and looked up to meet Jack's stricken eyes. "She's...she seemed like one of those cold fishes, you know? Till she protected me and the others."

Jack said nothing.

"Real pretty lady but every time we thought she'd be left alone, the guards would come for us and somehow she'd work it so she'd go instead. Said she felt responsible for me," Mouse said. "I tried to protect her, you know?"

"She was taking the punishment?" Jack asked incredulously. "Why?"

"She was sad, real sad." Mouse picked at the plaster again. "Never seen someone so sad. But then, after the Red King had at her again, she saved us. Told us to find you, that you'd know what to do."

"She said that," Jack whispered, more to himself than to Mouse. Those words tore at him, thinking how much faith she had in him. Faith he was no longer certain even he had in himself. Especially after what had happened between them, and what hadn't happened between them.

Months of regret and he was quite certain that there was more regret on the horizon.

"She wanted us to tell you something else but never said what it was." The boy sat up straighter. "But I could tell she loved you. She defended you, you know."

"Not that I deserved it," Jack answered, thinking back over the six months. When he had kept her at a distance to make sure he was back to being the King he had been brought up to be.

"You love her too, eh?" Mouse asked, licking his lips nervously.

"I do," Jack admitted freely, sighing while he rubbed his hands over his face again.

"So you'll save her then?"

Jack lifted his head, seeing the expression in Mouse's green eyes. "Yes."

* * *

Alice wandered through the maze of sleeping people, frowning to herself and troubled as well. The revelation about what she had long guessed hadn't eased her tension and she was still shaken about Bill's attempted attack. That she would be seen as a bargaining chip, cast off so easily, showed her the difference in Wonderlanders. Some were still in the time when they had scraped by with deception and using others to meet their ends, others were to terrified to take a stand. Yet there were others, like her friends, who would do anything that they could to make things right. She shook her hand, still feeling the phantom grip of Bill's dirty hand. No one had approached her since Hatter had made it very clear that she was not to be messed with, that none of them were to be.

She shivered at the thought of his dark eyes and wondered what may have happened if she hadn't pulled him away.

The attempt also showed her their desperation and, suddenly, being alone was not a welcome option. Especially in this strange cavern and caves. Alice glanced around the people sleeping and stepped over a small boy curled under a wool blanket, smiling at his almost angelic and dirty face fondly before going around the corner. She had been wandering like this for some time now, trying to memorize where everything was in case anything happened between now and dawn. Hatter had disappeared some time ago after they had been giving some rations for supper, Charlie still grumbling about his jaw so that she had been frustrated enough that she had left him with Jack and the Knave. None of them had liked leaving her alone but one look at her face made it clear she was not in the mood to be coddled.

She had rounded yet another corner, close to where the Suit had been imprisoned, and was about to leave when she noticed that one of the carved out caves was occupied. Hatter was sitting with his back against the wall, toying with a glittering rock by the light of a lantern. Watching from a small distance away, Alice saw a faraway look in his eyes that meant he was trying to focus on something but was finding it difficult.

"You know," Hatter said suddenly, his voice soft but still easily heard, "if I were to stare at you like that, you'd likely find it a bit creepy."

His head lifted to look at her even from the distance and Alice smiled, going to his side and tucking herself into the space, sitting across from him on the cool grass floor. "I just needed to go for a walk, that's all."

"Oh yeah, 'cause walking in the tunnels is a fantastic plan," Hatter said, resting his hand on his bent knee. Alice copied his action and stared back at him.

"Why didn't you tell us in the beginning? About Alice the First being the White Queen?" she asked. He sighed, tipping his head back.

"Because."

He was silent and Alice slid her one leg beside his and gave his thigh a nudge with the tip of her boot. "Because?"

"I didn't believe it myself. I grew up with a mad grandfather and a father teeterin' on the edge of insanity. Grandda told me all about it. Goes without sayin' that many times I doubted whatever he told me." He met her eyes steadily. "Would you have liked it if someone told you that your mother had loved another man more deeply than she loved your father after you had lost him?"

Alice sucked in a breath, hurt and stung but she nodded her head all the same. "I guess not."

"Then you can understand how I felt about what he told me regarding my Da and that Alice. That he loved her and she left him without worry. He married my Mum just after that...so it leaves too many questions. Nothin' I want to ever know about."

She shifted herself to sit on the blanket he was stretched out on, plucking at the grass beside her nervously. Hatter watched her face for a moment before shaking his head. "I wasn't even sure if the stories were real until I met you, until we came back and everythin' that started to make sense around you. The way she targeted you...no old Queen would have done it, would have laid such an intricate trap. She wants a way back into her power she had as an Oyster and she chose you," Hatter explained, his voice husky. "If I had known it could happen, then I never would have brought you back here with me. I should've come alone."

Alice stared at him. "Then I would have lost you." He met her eyes and Alice crawled over his legs to plant herself in his lap, pressing her forehead against his. "And I couldn't bear that."

Hatter exhaled slowly, his eyes shut while she leaned into him. She felt him relax slightly and she brushed her nose against his. She took his hat off and set it to the side so that the brim would not bend between them. Gently, she kissed his brow and then lowered her forehead to his.

"I understand though," Alice said. "Strangely. She wanted the fantasy to last and when it didn't, she's decided to lash out."

Hatter nodded, his forehead still against hers. "Sometimes fantasy is better than reality," he agreed and Alice shivered. He felt her sudden tension and lifted a hand, cupping her cheek and lifting her face from his. His eyes roamed over her face for a moment, his thumb grazing over her lower lip. "And sometimes, the reality is far better than the fantasy."

She blushed a brilliant red even in the dull glow of the lantern, her fingers opening and closing at her sides. "I'm just hoping that Jack's plans will work, that Dodo isn't going to deceive us," she said, trying to lead the conversation to slightly easier territory. He dropped his hand to her waist and shrugged.

"Hmm," Hatter answered but he didn't seem to be hearing her. His fingers tapped an irregular rhythm against her hip.

"Don't you think that?" Alice prodded, trying to draw his attention back. Hatter met her eyes, his own amused. "I mean, we could be thinking over a possible escape route or a way to get in or even..."

"Alice," he interrupted in a blunt tone.

"What?"

"You are sittin' on my lap."

Alice gave Hatter a confused, weak smile. "So?"

"Do you really think that my ideas right now are surroundin' Jack and Dodo?" he questioned and she gave an understanding 'oh' when he shifted her on his lap, sinking her further against his groin.

"Well, no, but I really think we would be better off if we were thinking it over and..." Alice was cut off as Hatter lifted his head and kissed her, innocently enough but it stopped her mid-sentence. She moved up onto her knees a bit, her mouth opening over his as she felt the desire pooling her stomach and spreading warmly through her body. Hatter broke the kiss and she followed his mouth with her own, finally opening her eyes when she felt nothing but air.

"Alice, the fact that we are goin' headlong into the Heart Palace speaks of how bad things could get," Hatter said softly. He smiled at her and brushed her hair back over her ear. "I'd really rather not spend my time alone with you discussin' battle plans, even if it is the more sensible option."

Self-consciously, Alice licked her lips and looked around. "You want to...here? There's people around!"

Hatter glanced, seeing the light of the other cavern glowing in the hallway. He then looked back at her, mischief dancing in his eyes that she could see even in the dim light. "So?"

"Hatter..." she warned, shifting her weight on top of him and his grin widened.

"You afraid?" he challenged, one hand cupping the back of her neck and drawing her down close. Alice turned her head to the side, determined to be the sensible one and not be goaded into anything by the seductive lips nibbling at the column of her throat. Her resolve wavered when he licked and then sucked at the skin just above her throbbing jugular. "Afraid that you can't keep quiet enough? I do have that effect."

The arrogant tone of his voice nearly did her in and she blinked, a tiny voice in her head telling her that this was not her style to let herself be seduced into nearly public sex. Hatter's fingers trailed down her hair and to where her thigh was resting over his left leg, suddenly pulling hard enough that she dropped harder into him. Alice stifled a whimper when he forced her hips to do a small grind against his.

"I could just stop," Hatter murmured against her collarbone, his mouth still hot against her skin. "Be pretty easy. Though I do like to hear that sound you make. I love all the sounds you make really. But I guess you're right." His fingers trailed up her thigh to the top of her leggings beneath the skirt. "I'm thinking you couldn't keep quiet even if you tried."

Alice pulled her head back and put her hand over his mouth, trying to ignore that impish look he gave her and the way his fingers slipped back down her thigh. Those lessons about peer pressure drilled into her from grade school slipped away.

"You, Noble Hatter, are a bad influence" she said. She looked back at him and sat back further on his legs, slipping a hand to the buttons on her coat. She unfastened them and watched as his eyes dropped to her hand, following each movement as if she was fascinating him. Then her words clicked into his head and he stared at her.

"What...how did you know that?" he demanded, his hand dropping from her thigh. Alice grinned and slid the coat off before leaning back forward.

"A little bird told me," she murmured before pressing her lips against his. Hatter had been about to question her, an odd sound coming from his mouth when Alice took advantage of his open mouth to flick her tongue against his. She moved up onto her knees, using the height difference to push his head back and kiss him deeply. His hands drifted up her sides, brushing over the silk of the shirt to cup a breast and rub his finger in a circle over her nipple. Alice bit into his lip to keep herself from moaning and he groaned, pulling his head back.

"Have to keep quiet, hmm?" she teased and he glared at her, his thumb tugging at the cup of her bra.

"Hard to when you bite me," he answered. "But if you want to declare war..."

Alice did gasp this time when his head dropped before she could stop him and he sucked at her breast through the shirt. His hand dropped and tugged her skirt over her thighs, fingers trailing over the worn material of her leggings. She shifted her hips slightly, pulling him forward into her and trying to push his coat off. Full nudity was likely not an option in the cold cavern, especially when they could be caught at any moment.

The thought gave her an unexpected thrill and she trailed her nails down his chest to his waistband, snapping it meaningfully. Hatter lifted a hand and slid the buttons of her shirt apart, the material falling easily to either side and framing her chest. There was an awkward shift as he got to his knees with her still astride his lap, nearly banging her head into the ceiling of the low cave when she adjusted herself around him, thighs trapping his hips between them with a hard grip. Alice made a frustrated sound when he fumbled to move her properly and fisted her hand into his shirt, tugging him closer.

"Bossy Oyster," he rumbled affectionately, opening his eyes to give her a look. She grinned back at him.

"Arrogant Wonderlander," she sniped back.

"Troublemaker."

"Con artist."

"Tease."

"Is this is your attempt to talk dirty?" Alice warned playfully, her mouth brushing over his as she leaned close. Hatter grinned and leaned his head over to hers, his hands holding her tighter against him when she ground her hips down into his.

"I don't think we've reached that stage yet. But you will know when I start to," he answered while he shifted her in his grip. Alice opened her mouth to answer and instead had to catch her breath when he bent her backwards, swinging her up and then down onto her back hard. Hard enough that her breath whooshed out of her and she stared up at him, watching while he shoved his coat off to the side and unbuttoned his shirt while leaning over of her. Like her Hatter didn't dare take his shirt off, just let it part to either side but considering the cold air circulating in the tunnels, it was enough. Alice lifted one leg in the air, resting it on his shoulder and bobbing it meaningfully. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he shucked her one boot off and then the other.

Alice tried not to giggle at his expression, Hatter dropping her leg down and leaning down to kiss her. His head lifted too suddenly for her to respond the way she wanted to, and she gave a disappointed groan. He pressed his hand over her mouth and looked up and to the right, the same path she had come from. Alice stared up at him impatiently but he was off her and rolling onto his side with her pressed against his front. She was confused for a moment as he began to breathe deeply before she heard the sound of someone walking and Alice grabbed her shirt in her hands to close it. She closed her own eyes just in time as a lantern light passed by and someone paused.

"Oh, there she is," Jack said. "Well, at least those two can sleep."

"Well, if she's with him, she'll be safe enough from Dodo. He's scared to death of Hatter for whatever reason."

Alice felt Hatter breathing deeply behind her and it aroused her rather than lulled her into any sort of relaxation. The hand he had tucked against her waist suddenly shifted, innocently enough and just slightly. He was far from innocent, Alice realized, as his fingers slid against the waist of her skirt and drifted along the responsive strip of skin he had singled out. Jack and the Knave continued to walk on, the light fading into the distance. She sighed, Hatter doing the same as he opened his eyes to watch them.

"You know," Alice said and she looked over her shoulder, Hatter looking back at her. "I think I may just kill Jack this time."

"I've got dibs on him," he argued while leaning over and turning the nearby lantern onto a low setting that made it hard for her to see more than the outline of his body. She was afraid that that was it, that there was no chance of continuing, when she felt his fingers then dip back to her arm, then her breast, lowering the cups of her bra just enough that she felt the pads of his fingers rub against her nipples. She gasped and shifted her weight on her side, rolling over to her back. Hatter grinned and followed her over, settling comfortably onto his side.

Alice watched him as Hatter tipped his head on the side and began to trace his fingers just over her skin. Watching the goose bumps that followed the lightness of his touch, Hatter made little invisible patterns that burned even in the cool air; never quite touching her but never leaving her skin for very long. He had learned in their few times together that she was just as sensitive to a light touch as she was to a rougher grip, and he enjoyed seeing her squirm. Alice shut her eyes, not daring to demand for him to touch her harder because she knew he would just enjoy that all the more. She exhaled sharply, determined to wait him out, and she just managed to stifle the sudden yelp that came to her throat when his fingers on her stomach was replaced by his mouth.

Thankful to just be keeping that silent, Alice felt him smile against her stomach before his tongue traced between her breasts to her collarbone. "Well done," he murmured against her neck and she opened her eyes warily and glanced down to see him grinning at her.

"You...may be insane," she whispered. "Considering you are trying to get me to make noise so we **do** get caught."

"It's a fantastic sort of madness, eh?" he said with a grin, lifting his head and lowering it again to kiss her. With a roll of her eyes, she smiled and put her arms around his shoulders to hold him close. His breathing deepened when he dropped his mouth from hers and nudged her chin to the side, his lips surrounding her earlobe. The tugging action sent a chill of her spine and she twisted her hips slightly, lifting one leg and pressing her foot against the back of his thigh.

"I suppose," she murmured and his head lifted, eyeing her.

"You suppose?" he asked. Alice nodded and he clicked his tongue again. Smiling at him, she pushed on the back of his thigh and jerked her hips up. He bumped into her hard and they both moaned, Alice shifting her hips slightly to force him closer. His eyes were half-closed, assessing the devious glint in her eye.

"I take it you want to make me pay for making this suggestion?" he breathed out against her lips. She smiled, taking his hand in hers and leading it down her body. He dipped his head to watch its trail, feeling her thin fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"What makes you think that?" Alice asked, the humour dying out when he cupped her sex beneath the skirt. Hatter still watched his hand, not lifting his head as his fingers traced the edges of her underwear beneath the leggings. Still holding his wrist, she forced it further beneath her skirt and under the band of her leggings. Hatter whispered something against her chest and she gulped for air, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek against the wool of the blanket. When his fingers brushed over her, no longer guided by her own hand, she gave a groan and rolled her hips.

Able to see her even in the near darkness, Hatter watched with some fascination at the way she responded to him. He wasn't sure that it would ever stop being fascinating. The honesty in her response made him harden further and he lifted his head to plant a kiss on her exposed breast. His fingers twitched an impatient rhythm, feeling the slickness between them offering no resistance and making it clear that she had no real qualms about making love in a small cave. Or close to the open view of others.

He decided that this would be added to his list of things to try again. That he was perfectly content to be giving in this situation, so long as he could watch the flush in her skin at his touch. Alice's fingers, sliding through his shirt to his ribs and caressing the thin edges of his hips gently, clearly thought differently. They slipped past over his tense stomach and unbuckled him quickly, the snare of a zipper being lowered incredibly loud in the silence of their tiny space. He twisted his hips to help her while he tugged off her leggings, removing them quickly and flinging them onto her boots. He braced his hands over her head, still licking at her nipples through her bra. Alice's hand moved to the back of his head and tugged on his hair gently, lifting his mouth to hers while her legs tightened and shifted him up against her.

"How quiet do you think we have to be?" Alice murmured against his ear and he shivered at the warm breath that caressed his ear.

"Does that really matter right now?" he whispered back as he folded her skirt up around her hips.

Alice shook her head. "Not really."

She reached down his back with her free hand and held him tight against her, nails digging into the small of his back when he hesitated. Smiling against her throat, Hatter pushed himself inside of her and felt her press her mouth against the inside of his wrist to keep herself quiet. He wasn't so lucky, moaning deeply when he felt her absorb him like a velvet glove. Alice's hand slipped from his hair and she pressed her palm over his mouth.

"Quiet, remember?" she breathed out in his ear and he groaned against her hand when she rolled her hips teasingly away from his. The drop in angle nearly had him slip out of her and he quickly moved his hand and grabbed her by the back of her thigh. She squeaked in surprise and he shoved his hips hard up into her, the hard thrust startling her. Alice pressed her mouth against the arm still braced over her head and felt his lips give her palm a gentle kiss before sucking her thumb into his mouth.

The action was surprisingly seductive and she met his eyes while holding her breath. Hatter stared back at her, releasing her thumb just enough that she rubbed it over his lower lip gently. They were pressed tightly together in the cramped space, his body moving slowly and in short but hard thrusts that made her breath gurgle in her throat. Hatter was unable to keep the groan from escaping his throat, his thighs spreading hers wider to change the angle. His teeth nipped at her finger before his head dropped to the crook of her shoulder, hand leaving her hip to grab at the blanket above her head.

Alice hooked her legs around the backs of his legs, clenching him in closer to her while holding the small of his back and encouraging him to make his thrusts harder. Gasping for breath, she pressed her cheek against the side of his head and stifled the cry that she felt building, her stomach churning with heat as her body tensed. His arms bracketed her head and she felt his stomach lock against hers when he moved harder against her. Hatter's hair brushed her lips and she heard him giving faint groans. He whispered something about addictions against her ear, driving hard into her so that the zipper of his pants rasped against her thighs. Alice hitched her legs up higher on his waist and felt her throat squeeze shut on the cry threatening to escape. Hatter's head turned slightly and she felt his palm suddenly press over her mouth. Alice squeezed her eyes shut thankfully as her body tensed and then released in a hard rippling flutter and she sank her teeth into his hand.

Hatter's body moved against hers still, his faint chuckle against her neck melding into a deep groan as his arms lowered himself onto her. His right hand tore the corner of the blanket into shreds, digging into the soft earth beneath and Alice managed to recover enough of her senses to shove her hips hard into his in a quick circle. She felt his shoulders tighten and Alice held him tighter against her when she felt him tremble in her arms. He stayed remarkably quiet for him, not speaking while their bodies shivered against one another, the skin exposed to the cold air slick with sweat.

When he lay still atop her, Alice shifted her weight and wrapped her legs tighter about Hatter's hips. It seemed like forever before he moved again and she tipped her head on the side when he turned his eyes to look at her. Alice managed to get her breathing to slow and slid her fingers up into his hair, resting her forehead against his.

"You...are such a bad influence," she managed with a grin and he smiled sleepily at her. He didn't answer, merely folded her into his arms and drew her into a gentle embrace before getting back up onto his elbows. Alice rolled to the side with him, adjusting her skirt back down around her legs and heard him re-buckle his pants before he sat back up. Hatter was strangely quiet as he folded her coat up behind her head and then put his own coat over her legs. It was oddly domestic and she hid a smile at the expression on his face when he picked up his now crushed hat.

"I liked this hat," he whispered mournfully, twisting it left and right while popping it back out. It sprang back to life under his hands

"So did I," Alice admitted and he flipped it through his fingers, rolling it down his arm and it plopped onto her head. He smiled at her expression and took it back off, lying back on the blanket. Alice rebuttoned her shirt to ward off the chill and stared down at him. He had tipped the hat over his eyes but had yet to do his own shirt back up. Flicking her tongue to the corner of her mouth, Alice slipped up from his waist to his neck, trailing her lips over his chest. He jerked as if her lips burned him and she heard a faint sound come from beneath the hat. Alice settled beside him quickly, putting her head on his shoulder and staring at the roof of their tiny space.

"Let's get some sleep. I'm ready to now. Night, Hatter," she said and felt him take a deep breath.

"Bossy Oyster," he muttered irritably even while his arm slipped around her waist. Alice grinned.

"Arrogant Wonderlander," she answered, determined to have the last word.


	36. Growing Unease

The White Queen sat in a low wicker chair on the balcony of the Heart Palace, the Royal Sceptre lying on her lap untouched. Here, at the utmost rear of the Royal Apartments, was some solitude at last. There were no Knights scurrying around, shepherding the Red King's latest influx of prisioners, nor was there constant sound of Wonderland all around. Wonderland throbbed with life, almost singing with the sound of constant activity, and now that the Red King had taken to destroying parts of Wonderland City, that hum was distorted into broken electricity and screaming prisoners. She had come here for some quiet, for a chance to think, and had been here since the very early morning when the dawn was still hours away. Unable to rest, she found that there was an unexpected tension gathering in her body that made her feel uneasy. She was feeling things again, emotions once more playing havoc with her mind. Emotions she had long forgotten, ones that she had never felt so intensely. Not for the first time, she felt a niggle of self doubt at the wisdom of stealing Alice's mark.

The snow and winds were no longer blowing around her, though the chill in the air should have warranted a heavy cloak or blanket. After the dirt and grime of travelling from the Taiga to the City, she had changed into a dark blue gown, the material gauzy and almost completely transparent. Despite her misgivings over the Red King's lusts, the dress was still backless. The gryphon mark, furious at its capture, would not tolerate being hidden and her back ached from the constant movement of the mark. Who would have known that a simple mark would do such a thing? When a mark from any other Oyster would have lain still and compliant under her power. It should have submitted to the more powerful Taiga magic.

She could have been a statue for all that she moved, staring out across the city with her face fixed in a blank expression. Her silvery hair had been tied tight away from her face, pulling her skin just as taut. Even with her stillness, the Crows guarding her from either side of the balcony doors knew better. Something was going on. They were badly shaken from her threat earlier, having never seen her so angry before. They only knew in part what their brothers had done back at the White Manor, knew that it had to do with this threat to the Queen. What they did know for certain was that she was not about to be crossed.

The White Queen was thinking of the girl Alice, the girl who bore the name she had once been called when she had been an Oyster new to this world. This world that she had changed and created to become a better place before that ridiculous Queen of Hearts had found Archibades' weakness and sapped out the majority of her own magic with an old relic. The girl's name struck a vicious yet nostalgic chord in the White Queen. _Alice_. The girl looked nothing like she herself, nothing like the legends she had cultivated over the years would have suggested. She had no noble upbringing, no fair beauty to the Queen's eyes. No obvious powers, nothing of what legends could be carved upon. Yet she had had the loyalty of a King of Wonderland and had had the devotion of a Hatter.

Those two things had been something she had worked for herself and lost in the end.

This Alice Hamilton should be dead yet something was making her more powerful than anticipated. She bore no great imagination, no great strength, the Queen had thought. But now the Queen was realizing that she may have underestimated the girl. The girl and that strange glow and feeling that emanated from her. When the White Queen had first felt Alice enter the Taiga, it had been almost weak. But then she had touched that strange gryphon mark, saw the emotion and power that had shined from the girl's eyes, and knew that there was more to this girl than met the eye. That something had happened to dull it but that it was still there. Her Cheshire had underestimated the girl and would pay dearly for it if he did not make amends.

Alice the First remembered bitterly the day years ago when she had decided to stay in Wonderland. She had realized the power she had the first time she had stepped through as just a child and toppled the House of Cards like it was no more than a game. Then, returning as a woman, she had known it was her destiny to rule Wonderland and its strange magic when she had won that glorious and deadly Chess Game. She had taken the White Queen's place with no thought as to her family; the idea of being a Queen in a time when a girl such as she would be insignificant in her own world had made her realize that she was making the right choice. Then the trap of the Taiga, of her marriage to the young White King, had ensnared her, increasing her bitterness until the birth of Thyme. Then her happiness with her daughter Thyme had been cut short by that damn Hatta and the old Mad Hatter.

Hatta, a man she had once thought to love until she realized that there was no chance to further her skill in magic, to rule Wonderland as she believed her right, when she remained the lover of a Hatta. What magic did they have beyond some old Taiga magic that was inferior to the mix of Oyster and Taiga Magic? Then the blasted man had let his family betray her, murder her daughter, to let his own stupid boy live. Oh, and she had had her revenge on him and his old mad father. Yet it had brought no happiness to her to do so.

The only thing that would make her happy was when Wonderland was back to her vision, her old memory of it.

Finally, she cleared her throat and looked down at the Sceptre, taking in the golden shaft crowned by the sapphires that gleamed brilliant in the light. Sapphires so pure and the twisted horn that made up its base reminding her of that day when the Unicorn had protected her from the Lion. Tempted by her innocence at the time, the Unicorn had offered her to give a gift in return, anything she liked, and had given his horn willingly when she had asked for it. The Sceptre, something she had not seen in years, lay in her hands once more. It had not changed from all those years ago, the tiny carved notch for the Stone of Wonderland reminding her of the necessity for capturing the King of Hearts. For what she needed to do, the Stone was rather necessary. The White Queen twisted the bottom of the Sceptre and felt it hum to life. Smiling, she untwisted it and it went to sleep once more.

It would change the very world of Wonderland with her power behind it when the girl was finally dead.

"Here I was, hoping for your company at breakfast," Archibades said as he approached her from behind. The Crows stayed their usual stoic selves, eyes darting just slightly to keep an eye on the Red King though respecting his power. Archibades stepped behind the White Queen's chair. He was relieved that the Cheshire had disappeared, likely to sulk at his mistress' anger with him.

"Perhaps I need to remember my etiquette when it comes to socializing," she drawled, looking back up at the city horizon.

"Indeed..." Archibades put his hand out and traced it slowly down the back of her neck. Had he been able to see her face he may have retracted his hand. "My sources have let me know that Jack Heart was seen exiting the Underground. That Alice girl was with him."

"So he is more clever than expected," she murmured, clicking her tongue. "Especially in retaining her help."

"And you wish to just wait? My men could have him and his companions," Archibades began and she shook her head, ignoring the feel of his hand on her neck.

"No. If he is bringing the girl, I can use her. I want to know why she still lives without the mark and the glow that I drained from her. Then you can have your fun destroying him as well," she said. Her voice was persuasive and he smiled.

"You know how I like traditionalisim. Kingships were once won on the blades of swords, not by magic and traps. You know me well, my Queen," he said and his hand traced lower along her shoulder blades. "Though not as well as you should...or how I would like."

She snorted. "Even after all these years, Archibades, you still like to lust after things you cannot break. That Duchess is still alive, no matter what you have done to her. Still alive and still fighting you."

"Not for long. She's started to turn to a statue, the way that most do when my power holds them too long," he admitted. "She will not fight for long. But I will have her how I want her when Jack Heart arrives."

"Poor child," the White Queen answered without any sincerity. His fingers were trying to be seductive though it sent her skin crawling. She had never liked Archibades. Not for any real reason save that his power, given to him by her, could match her own if he put his mind to it. It was better to keep him afraid.

"When Wonderland is ours, when the Sceptre gives the power to change it to our plans, then we can unite the Houses of the Taiga," he offered and she sniffed. His finger slipped between her shoulders and the gryphon mark stirred from where it had settled beneath her skin. Then, of all things, it seemed to actually bite him. She heard him yell out a slew of Wonderland curses and yank his hand away.

"Something wrong?" she asked without turning and he stalked around to the railing before her.

"That mark is alive!" he said in shock and she glanced over her shoulder. The mark was burning her back again, agitated and she winced at the feel of it.

"So it is."

His eyes almost burned red. "Oyster marks are supposed to die when you take them, from what you taught me."

"This one did not," she answered simply. Archibades looked her over. He knew what she was, had known for many years that she was an Oyster turned Wonderlander. When he had met her at first he had thought to destroy her but she had overwhelmed him. She had taken him in after the death of Thyme, asked him to help her find her vengeance against Wonderland, given him magic when no one else would. Even after his utter defeat from the Queen of Hearts their alliance had proved a nostalgic connection that allowed them to plan for the time when they could come back to power.

"What is it that you are not telling me? Why is this girl's mark different? Why is she still alive even?" he asked. She flicked her hand, a hand still marked by the checkerboard tattoo she had been given years ago, and gave him a disdainful look.

"She is an Alice. Likely this very world thought she would be something of value. It was wrong. I felt her power. It is not like ours and it is from her emotions. All that is needed is to make her weak," she explained. Archibades arched a brow. "We need to tread carefully with her."

He mulled it over for a moment.

"The death of her friends, perhaps?" he asked and she smiled.

"Perhaps." Her smile died. "Has anyone reported on the Hatter?"

"Not yet. He disappeared. All of our spies report that they never see him when you would think he would be with them," Archibades answered. "Yet he survived, we have to assume."

"And if he is as infatuated with this Alice as Chesh claims, then he would not be far from her, even in his madness," the White Queen said to herself, tapping her finger on her chin. "Something else is shielding him if he is with them. An illusion maybe."

She thought back to Alice, to having trapped her in the Manor where the only people who would have access to her would be the Examiners and the Crows. And ghosts.

Ghosts. Particularily the ghost of a man whose son she was set out to kill.

"Grey. You would dare defy me even in death, despite what you claimed at one time," she whispered to herself and Archibades gave her a curious look. She straightened in her seat, remembering that he did not know of her brief love affair with Hatta. That was best kept in the dark. "When I had Grey Hatta executed, his ghost haunted the White Manor. If it was still there and the Hatter was the one who saved Alice, then some old magic could have attached itself to this Hatter."

Archibades absorbed this, confused but wary. He had once thought, like many before him, that the Hatter family was void of anything magical or clever beyond their rhyming, but after his run-in with Hatter, he knew that that was not the case.

"Then we could use this," he declared. "If we separate them, the Alice will be without her support of her lover. If they are in love, then both will be weak and terrified for one another. Whatever power she has may be directed to other things, so that we can use her."

The White Queen thought it over before nodding finally. "An excellent idea. But what if it doesn't work?"

"Then we kill them both and use the Sceptre without the added power she carries."

* * *

Standing at the very end of the tunnel path, Alice and Charlie peered around the edges of the sewer grate. Hatter and the Knave had gone first, slipping through the narrow iron bars and disappearing around the corner of the old decayed ruins of a one-time monastery. Behind them, Jack was adjusting the saddle bags. Dodo had left them ten minutes ago, ridiculed by Jack's rejection of his type of help. There was no trusting Dodo, but Jack had accepted that the people who had escaped from the Red King would be safe under his leadership.

Alice felt him at her shoulder. "Are they back yet?" he whispered in her ear and she shook her head.

"Not yet. How far is it?" Alice asked.

"Less than a mile. It's the ledges we have to skip over that may be the problem, but we are nearly right into the main courtyard of the Palace," Jack explained, slipping Guinevere's reins into her hand. Charlie sniffed.

"I prefer the wilds," he said and Alice nodded.

"I'm with you there, Charlie. You'll let me know if you feel anything there?" she asked, suddenly meeting his eyes. Charlie blinked, startled at the request.

"From my mystical abilities to peer into the unknown?" he asked. Alice nodded. "But of course!"

He seemed so delighted at her request that he puffed himself up a bit and turned to Arthur. Jack smiled and shook his own head before looking at Alice. She seemed stronger today, still a bit quiet and distant but stronger. Nothing had bothered her, not Dodo's sly comments about her and Hatter, nor the matter of Hatter having disappeared sometime during the night to check back on the path they had come from. Jack found himself just as unworried by Hatter's actions, having learned to trust the younger man in some matters.

Hatter had said he had something to check and had come back with a relieved look to his face that was curious but thankfully normal. The Knave had merely shrugged, just as confused as the rest of them, but Hatter did not seem to notice their slight suspicions. To him it was perfectly normal to wander off, and considering his personality, that hardly surprised Jack at all.

The pair appeared suddenly outside of the grate, dusted with snow and frost. Hatter had pulled his hat low over his eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight, while the Knave was coughing. Their shoulders were almost covered in snow, the thick carpet just outside the grating nearly to their calves. Jack flipped his collar up against the chill and nodded to the Knave.

"How's it look?" he asked lowly.

"Well..."

"Beyond bleedin' cold?" Hatter asked, cupping his hands together and blowing his breath over them. "Feels like the temperature dropped the moment we got to the courtyard."

"Snow is covering signs but luckily, it'll also cover our tracks. We can get through the ruins if we really move it fast, but the courtyard will be tricky. We'll need to scout it out again," the Knave explained and Charlie gave a grunt, flexing his knees.

"My armour will rust," he said and Hatter glanced at him.

"We're all out of oil, tin man," he commented and Alice blinked. This had nearly hit the point of being too strange.

"A shame that," Charlie said as he jingled his chain mail into place, "I think I shall need a new set soon."

Hatter passed him through the grate, smiling at Alice in greeting before taking Guinevere's reins. "Are you sure that wasn't twenty years ago?"

Jack rolled his eyes while mounting his gelding.

"Hatter, be nice to Charlie," Alice commented and he grinned at her while tightening the girth.

"Always, luv," he answered.

"Well, it could be worse," Charlie commented without thinking. "I could be wearing some gaudy hat and shirt with flowers on it."

Hatter stiffened, looking at Charlie in confusion while Alice and the Knave struggled to keep their laughter low. "Did he just..." Hatter began.

Alice clasped his chin in her hand and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "He did, you deserved it, now let's get out of here."

The kiss had only distracted him only so much and she took advantage of it to climb into the saddle first. He stared up at her, mouth still half-open, while Alice grinned and adjusted the stirrups to fit her.

"You're drivin'?" he asked and she stared back at him.

"Yes."

"Right..." Hatter looked at where the others were still adjusting their saddles to fit more comfortably. "Can I ride with one of the others then?"

Alice glared at him but there was no heat in her eyes. He held her glare just as stoically and she finally smiled. "Get on the damn horse."

He was grinning like a fool, glad to have made her smile, when he pulled himself up behind her. The Knave slid the grating to the side and gestured the others through, the horses snorting at the sight of the deep snow. When he had closed it behind him, he took the lead again while Hatter and Alice took the rear on Guinevere. Alice shivered at the cold wind that penetrated even the thick overcoat she wore, feeling Hatter press closer against her from behind to keep himself warm as well. His breath brushed the back of her neck.

"You see, this is why Wonderland is not so fond of winter," he said in her ear as she steered Guinevere around to the ledges and she nodded.

"Especially unnatural ones," she answered. The Knave suddenly pressed his horse into a trot, a tricky gait considering the slippery ground, and they moved quickly through the ruins. Hatter muttered against Alice's neck at the uncomfortable nature of bouncing on his horse's hindquarters and she smiled to herself for a moment. Then the cold wind grew harsh and made her head ache, forcing the smile from her face.

"How far is it?" she asked Hatter as Guinevere righted herself after tripping.

"Few more turns. Be ready to pull her to a stop," Hatter warned. They came to a ledge that led downwards and the mare slid slowly down after Charlie and Arthur. Charlie was deathly pale but Arthur was moving easily enough, clearly unconcerned by the slippery slope.

The building that loomed before them was high and painted a brilliant yellow that nearly hurt the eyes. The Knave held up his hand and the horses slowed. Alice barely had time to bring Guinevere to a stop, the mare pinning her ears when she collided with the rear of Arthur. Hatter made an 'oof' sound and tightened his arms around Alice again, eyes nearly crossing when his groin met the rear of the saddle with more far more force than he thought possible.

He grunted again.

"Alice," he whispered in a high pitched voice, grimacing before he gave her sides a hard squeeze. "I drive next time."

She glanced over her shoulder at him and frowned, not getting it. Hatter sighed, glancing up at the Knave and seeing the other man carefully sliding from his horse. The Knave seemed exhausted by even that ride and Hatter knew that the 2 storey fall he had suffered back in the White Manor was having its effect. The King's man had insisted he was fine, but he was ignoring the internal damage that should have killed him. Damage Hatter could see obviously taking its effect on him now. Hatter jumped off of Guinevere and helped Alice off as the Knave left his horse with Jack and disappeared around the corner of the building.

Jack and Charlie both dismounted, Hatter helping Charlie adjust his armour properly from where it had become flipped or jostled by the ride. Alice crept up beside Jack and gave him a questioning look.

"We're close to the first courtyard of the Palace. Leads to the entrance to the grounds," he explained as he dug into his saddlebag, checking on their weapons. Alice put her own hand on the dagger strapped to her waist nervously.

"It's so quiet," she remarked and Jack nodded.

"Which is what worries me." He whirled when they heard the sound of pounding feet but it was the Knave, who almost collapsed at their feet before leaning against the building wall.

"Twenty guards, armed," the Knave gasped out. Alice and Jacked exchanged worried looks.

"If we sneak to the west walls a few buildings over, we can get around," Jack explained but the Knave shook his head gravely.

"It would cost us too much time, sire."

"Even a sacrifice play would never work," Alice whispered. Hatter, watching the interaction, gave a slow smile and turned to Charlie.

"You still got that spare scabbard?" he asked and Charlie frowned, the puzzled Knight handing over the spare one clipped to his belt. Hatter smiled his thanks and turned it over, holding it between his teeth and ripping the worn wood and leather with his right hand. It hollowed out the scabbard further from end to end and Alice and Jack looked at each other in confusion. Hatter grinned in delight at his work and moved over to the ledge again.

He held the scabbard up and pressed it so that it formed a cylinder, putting his mouth over one of the open ends. He clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and then gave a whistle so piercing that it made the others wince. The sound carried shrill and loud and Jack rubbed at his ears in irritation.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"Alice asked as she cupped her hands over her ears. Hatter gave her a cheeky grin and walked back to them, the bizarre scene making them all look at one another. Hatter paused at the look on their faces.

"No one ever wondered how Guin and I got back to the Manor so quickly? No one?" he asked, sounding disappointed while they all gave him a look that said he was clearly still insane. The Knave looked up and choked on a cough as something green and grey came barrelling out of the sky like a dropped ball. Hatter seemed ignorant of it, scratching at his cheek. "I mean, I am good - and I mean good - at cheating at chess, but I'm not able to completely fool the Taiga."

A large Jabberwock suddenly alighted just behind him with a suitable grunt and they all backed, frozen with fear. Its head waggled back and forth behind Hatter, the strange eyes twisting left and right. Hatter still seemed unaware of it.

"What's wrong with you lot?" he asked in confusion and Jack swallowed.

"That's a...a..." Jack broke off when it stepped menacingly behind Hatter, opening its jaw half-way. Charlie squawked, his hand going to his side over his sword hilt. Around them, the horses were all staring at the Jabberwock with wide rolling eyes but Guinevere simply yawned and stamped a hoof behind Alice.

"By Phinius and Phateon," Charlie muttered. "Why do I never have my lance when I need it?"

"Hatter...don't...don't make any sudden moves. There's a...a..." Alice tried and Hatter gave her a puzzled frown before a look of dawning realization crossed over his face. He jerked his thumb behind himself.

"Who? Her? It's a Jabberwock. Got into a tussle with her back in the Kingdom of Knights after I recovered from the madness. Ten gruelling minutes later and a few strikes to that snout of her, she backed off. The old girl kept following me around like a dog after that."

He saw the Knave trying to load a gun.

"You don't need to do that. She's a strong one, so you won't stand a chance with a gun. Good thing she was strong, had to get her to pick Guin up as well as me. Remember how we couldn't take the Flamingos, 'cause we would have been seen? Well, no one looks for a Jabberwock." He beamed at them like an excited child proud of his new puppy. "I named her Suzy."

The creature seemed to purr at the name, lowering its head and snaking it around Hatter. He grinned and scratched at its eye ridges roughly, the Jabberwock's long tongue sliding out as it grumbled happily. Jack recovered enough to point at the pair.

"You...you mean to tell us, that you tamed a Jabberwock, got it to fly you over the Taiga, trained it to come to a whistle." Jack stared at him. "And you called that thing...'Suzy' ?"

Hatter gave him a delighted smile. "Yeah. Of course."

"I think that you maybe just as mad as we first worried," the Knave stated from where he was standing behind Alice and Charlie. Hatter shrugged, not insulted.

"Seems rather like it. If I hadn't been, I'd probably be Jabberwock food. Good think it worked, eh?" Hatter retorted before turning to the Jabberwock. "She's a lovely girl, ain't you?"

The creature purred louder, shifting happily under his hand. It lifted its head when Alice stepped away from the others, the purr dying as it stared at her. Alice swallowed the lump in her throat and moved slowly towards Hatter. Hatter grinned encouragingly, holding his hand out and waggling his fingers impatiently for her to take it. Alice slipped her hand in his and he drew her close even though the Jabberwock had lifted its head further. The ugly snout let out a blast of hot air that sent Alice's frozen clothing tight around her body. Ignoring it, Hatter helped Alice touch the ridge of the strange face and then up to the eyelids. The creature's eyes whirled slightly and Alice firmed her touch just a bit, hearing a faint rumble coming from the Jabberwock just before it pressed its head into her hand.

"She...she seems to like me," Alice whispered to Hatter, feeling him step protectively behind her. He smiled and leaned closer to her, his mouth brushing her ear.

"Probably smells me on you," he whispered. She blushed but realized that he wasn't just trying to be seductive when the Jabberwock looked at Charlie and growled. The White Knight sniffed in disdain.

"Still best as a stuffed mantel piece," he muttered irritably and the other two silently agreed. Hatter cleared his throat, letting go of Alice's hand and pushing her gently to the side.

"So, I was thinkin' that we let Suzy have her fun," he declared, going the beast a hearty clap on her leathery shoulder. The Jabberwock perked up and the pair of them disappeared around the bend of the building. Still rather shocked about what had happened, they all waited for a minute until there was a loud thump nearby. Roaring began and Alice scrambled onto Guinevere, not waiting for the others before clipping her heels hard into the mare's side.

She pulled the mare to a hard stop though when they came in view of the courtyard. The Jabberwock was, actually, having fun. The Red King's Knights had once been Suits and had long been told to fear Jabberwocks. Clearly it was something that stayed with them and they were terrified of the dragon-like beast barrelling through the courtyard like a demon. Hatter had taken a seat on an overturned wagon, swinging his legs back and forth while he rolled his hat from hand to hand over his shoulders. He was whistling to himself, occasionally grabbing a Knight that fell nearby and giving it a hard enough blow to knock it out. The Jabberwock lumbered around the courtyard, tossing the Knights like dolls here and there.

Alice carefully rode Guinevere beside Hatter, the mare used to the Jabberwock by now and unconcerned by its antics. Jack followed, his horse dancing nervously about. Hatter was watching around himself, whistling off-key and he flipped his fedora back onto his head.

"Hatter," Jack said suddenly, holding out his hand as he came beside the younger man. Hatter looked at the left hand cautiously, clearly thinking something else when Jack gave him a shrug. "Thank you."

The two men shared a look before Hatter took Jack's hand in his right and shook it. "Don't mention it, Jackie-boy."

The nickname was there to stay, Alice thought, when Jack sighed and then shrugged it off. He didn't seem as irritated as he once would have been. Hatter was watching the Jabberwock toying about, picking up Knights and shaking them back and forth. He looked as fascinated as he had been when Alice had introduced him to Saturday morning cartoons in her world. Alice watched the Jabberwock, tipping her head on the side.

"You know, there is one way that this would seem strange...er." The two men looked at her. "I mean, Hatter could be talking to the Jabberwock in her type of language."

"That would be stranger. But I wouldn't doubt it to happen, considering him," Jack agreed and Hatter shot Alice a look.

"Don't help him think up smart cracks, luv." Alice gave him an innocent look and smiled. Behind her, Guinevere stamped her foot impatiently. The horse seemed annoyed at staying so still now and Alice saw Charlie and the Knave sneaking up as well. When she turned around, it took her a moment before realizing that they were standing in the shadow of the Heart Palace. This had been one place she had never been and it was strange to take it in after the almost British looks of the White Manor. The Palace had been built to seem like a higher class version of the Hearts' Casino. It had the same twisted and oddly stacked levels, massive glass windows and brightly polished beams and support struts dividing the levels. It was immense, Alice craning her neck back and still not able to see the roof.

"This is...incredible," Alice admitted lowly. This building had a weird beauty in its different levels and glass windows.

"Houses nearly all of the Court, Cards and nobles, and several citizens in the lower levels. Took my family years to rebuild after the Wars," Jack said with obvious pride.

Hatter watched Suzy the Jabberwock for a moment longer before clearing his throat.

"Right then." He slipped off the overturned wagon and whistled again. The Jabberwock perked up for a moment, stared at Hatter while still holding an unconscious Knight in its talons. Hatter looked over the scene, the Knights staggering about in shock and then shrugged. He turned away from the Jabberwock and with an almost human glee she went back to tossing them around. "I don't see reason to upset her, eh?"

"I suppose not," the Knave said, still not comfortable about the ferocious creature lumbering around. Charlie went to say something and he nudged him, shaking his head at the White Knight to silence him.

"Short jaunt through this. We can take the side ledges and we'll make it into the servant's quarters," Jack said as he pulled himself up onto his horse. Alice went to do the same, meeting Hatter's eyes over Guinevere's back. He arched his brow at her and she glared at him.

"What is it with men wanting to drive?" she asked grudgingly.

"One of my flaws, luv. You love me all the same," he answered with a smile as he mounted first.

"So I have to keep remembering," she teased back as she adjusted her coat around herself to ward off the wind. He rolled his eyes and then pulled her up behind him. Alice settled close to him and looked over her shoulder. The Knights were trying to regroup and the Jabberwock was flapping about in the air.

"She'll be okay?" Alice asked, shocking herself. Why on earth was she so concerned about a creature that only weeks before would have been trying to kill her? God, she was starting to think like a Wonderlander.

"Oh sure. Likely will lead them on a merry chase. Jabberwocks don't like fightin' that much to stick around if the odds are bad."

He reined Guinevere after Jack's horse and they cantered across the snow-covered courtyard, the horses straining in the deep snow. Guinevere's gait was more up and down now as she surged through the snow, Alice bouncing uncomfortably hard on her back. Hatter found handling his horse easier though and there was less stumbling with him at the reins. Alice focussed on the back of his head, not daring to look down as they passed to a ledge that ran narrowly along the side of the Palace. They were going faster than she liked, the narrow ledge seeming to grow smaller and smaller and they were going up and down so fast that she eventually squeezed her eyes shut and wait for her stomach to stop tossing.

Hatter was glad that he was used to Guinevere when Jack suddenly slowed his horse, causing all of them to stop suddenly. Jack was off his horse, pressing against the wall carefully. Hatter followed suit, helping Alice down with him when he saw her deathly white face.

"Come on, darlin'. It's over." He held her close to him as he pressed against the ledge wall.

"I think I might be sick," Alice whispered against his chest and he sighed.

"Hold it in for now, just focus on me."

"We're about three doors down from the service entrance," Jack said as he began to side step down, his back pressed tight against the wall. "Just don't look down."

"What about the horses?" Charlie piped out, giving Arthur a concerned look. Jack paused, not having been prepared for that, but the Knave leaned out.

"They can get around to the other side near the rear of the Palace. That way they can distract the Knights that may be there."

Jack nodded and clapped his hand hard on his horse's haunch, the horse springing off quickly with the others following. They waited for them to disappear down one of the ledges before side-stepping along the ledge, Jack swinging open the service door cautiously. He poked his head in and then waved his hand at them before disappearing through the door.

They followed him, the sudden warmth of the small room almost blissful after the biting cold of the winds. Hatter dusted off his coat and hat, shaking his shoulders. "That is a mite bit better," he said aloud and Alice silently agreed with him. Without the constant wind, it was almost tolerable. She pulled her gloves off and shook out her coat quickly, hearing Charlie and the Knave doing the same behind her when they stepped in.

"Oh, sweet relief," Charlie muttered.

"How far away from the entrance are we?" Hatter asked as he adjusted the gun holster on his hip.

Jack wiped his hand across his mouth, looking around the dull room. "Few minutes at a run, maybe. If we're lucky, they've taken up residence in the rear of the palace."

He moved through the crowded room, which was stacked high with boxes, blankets, and light fixtures of all sizes, and went to a black door. He cracked it open slightly and looked into the hall. It was empty, the lights dimmed and there was only a trace of red mist about. Knowing his palace as well as he did, Jack had to assume that the main part of the palace, the intricate living-rooms and the large cavern-like areas where strategy was planned, would be the focal point.

Looking over his shoulder at the others, he put his fingers to his lips and slipped out the door quietly. They kept close behind him, the Knave taking up the rear and making sure that Charlie didn't linger. They reached the corridor, still pressing against the moulding. When Jack came to the corner, he stopped, holding out his hand to keep them still. He could hear someone walking and shook his hand quickly. They all pressed back against wall and held their breaths.

Two Knights walked past them, their bodies held rigid and their odd horse heads focussed ahead. Jack and Hatter leaned out, seeing the back of a blonde woman being held between them. They saw the bruises and scratches on her back from where her dress had been torn and her blonde hair was lank, hanging halfway down her back. The Knights turned a corner and they caught the profile of the thin woman. Jack stiffened, moving to follow them when Hatter clamped his right hand onto his arm.

"Not now," he warned, ignoring Jack's furious look and the way he tried jerk himself free. "We can't save her if we get into a tussle with more Knights than we are ready to handle."

"He's right, sire. We need to keep moving," the Knave whispered and Jack breathed in deeply to calm himself. Hatter let him go and waited him out, eyes on Jack's face for any sign that he would run after the Duchess. Jack sniffed, straightened out his coat, and then gave them a quick, jerky nod.

"This way," he snapped, slipping across the corridor to another set of doors. He led them through a series of rooms, always checking to see if anyone could be around and never once seeing more than a passing glimpse of Knights. Alice kept her attention on the way they were going, only somewhat noticing the almost art deco styling that so severely contrasted the White Manor. Charlie had hold of the back of her coat to keep himself up with the rest of the group, his armour for once not making as much noise.

Alice was struggling to contain her curiosity as Jack led them deeper into the Palace. The richness of the rooms varied and in many ways the Palace reminded her of a museum. Many of walls were protected behind thin glass barriers: large portraits of Jack's ancestors here and there, old relics that were displayed with just as much pride and caution. Then they were contrasted by the modern decor of the rest of the rooms. As Alice followed Jack, she wondered if this was supposed to be symbolic of the Heart family and wondered what could be hiding in these rooms. If the White Manor was any judge of the old buildings in Wonderland, it was very likely that this whole building held far more secrets than she could guess at.

When the rooms began to blend together and the halls seemed endless, Alice began to feel even more uncomfortable. Ahead of her, Hatter kept glancing around with the same amount of unease and that both reassured and worried her. Where was everyone? Where were the Knights that should have been patrolling or even the red mists to block their way? It was far too quiet; the entire building seemed so quiet that she heard every click of their boots on the tile like a loud echo in her ears. Quiet and cold and far too still.

 _It was too easy,_ Alice thought to herself when Jack opened a door and led them into the massive entrance that was surrounded by a variety of staircases that twisted left and right. She didn't like feeling exposed, something learned from being in the Taiga, and this was beginning to worry her more and more. This was beginning to feel more and more like a trap to her. The sort of trap she could see so clearly in her mind now: allow intruders to get in quickly and easily, then trap them so far in that they could never escape. Why was she thinking of this now with such ease when she had walked into the trap of the White Manor so blindly?

Hatter paused, looking around. "Is it just me, or is it too quiet?" he asked lowly, voicing Alice's thoughts. He fidgeted as the Knave and Charlie passed him, turning a slow circle. He knew it was a trap, Alice saw, but was trying to downplay it. Whether for her benefit or for his own, she wasn't sure.

"It is," the Knave agreed, "but we don't have much time to linger on it. I don't like the idea of the Sceptre being in their hands."

Jack looked at Alice, seeing the distant concern flickering over her face when she began to pick at the buttons on her coat. "We just need to take the side stairs, Alice. Once we got to the back, we have the element of surprise."

"Jack, as much as I want to say that helped...it didn't," Alice admitted and gave him a weak smile. She stopped playing with the buttons on her coat though and cleared her throat nervously instead. Refusing to meet his eyes, she looked around the room and put a hand to her neck. Her face grew distant again and Jack felt his own nerves grow just watching that strange expression on her fac.e Jack shook his head and moved to the stairs he had pointed out, Alice slowly following when she pulled herself out of her thoughts. The Knave nudged Hatter, who was still looking around with obvious unease, and Charlie finally wandered near the two men after a moment.

Alice stepped after Jack across the tiled floor, suddenly feeling a chill go across the back of her neck. It was as if someone had brushed an ice cube over her skin and she stopped just for a moment before realizing that she had to move and move fast. She moved forward without thinking as to why and heard a hiss behind her. Hearing it as well, Jack had hold of her arm and was turning around to warn the others when he saw the large sheet of glass that had come down from the ceiling. Or at least...he thought it was glass. It didn't shatter as it slammed so hard into the floor that it cracked the tile around it and embedded itself.

Hatter ran forward but the glass had separated all of them from each other by the time he made just two steps. The Knave and Charlie joined him, Charlie staring at the glass in wonder. It was high, disappearing into the gilded ceiling though there was no obvious signs of where it had come from. They all craned their heads back and the Knave scratched at the top of his head in confusion.

"Now this is...unexpected," the Knave commented. Charlie reached out to touch the glass, finding it thick and icy to touch, and jerked his hand back at the cold that bit at his fingers. Beside him, the Knave bit into his inner cheek before he pulled his gun. He cocked it, waiting for the others to take a step back before firing two rounds at the barrier. They had to duck when the bullets ricocheted wildly back, Charlie flying onto his buttocks in a dramatic display while the Knave and Hatter crouched to avoid being hit. When the shots died off and the bullets buried themselves in the walls behind them, Hatter stayed in his crouch, staring at the barrier.

Alice and Jack ran their hands over the glass, Alice knocking hard several times as Jack pressed against it. It was strong though, not even buckling when Jack put pressure on it with his shoulder. Alice gave it a hard kick with her boot, not to attempt to break it but to vent off some frustration. On the other side of the barrier, Hatter moved up to his feet and flexed his fingers before slamming his right hand into the glass hard. The glass stayed strong still and his fist suffered for it.

"Damn it!" he shouted at the flash of pain. His fingers ached and he flexed them repeatedly to get rid of the feeling. He continued to curse loudly, the vulgar and imaginative words making even the Knave and Charlie look at him in surprise.

On the other side, Alice and Jack stared at him, seeing his mouth moving but hearing no sound. "Hatter!" Alice called out but he didn't seem to hear her, shaking his hand out. The Knave saw her lips moving and said something back that neither of them could hear. Hatter still didn't look up, running his hands over the barrier and still talking to himself.

 _What better trap than this?_ Alice thought with a tinge of weariness. _Being separated from Hatter, Charlie and the Knave..._

"We're being separated," Alice whispered and Jack looked down at her, nodding his agreement before looking back up at the Knave. The Knave met his eyes and gestured towards the stairs. Jack nodded, holding up three fingers and then four until the Knave made it clear that he understood what Jack was ordering him to do. Behind the Knave, Charlie was keeping an eye out for any more surprises. The room was still empty though, the only change that massive barrier now splitting the room in half.

Alice stared at Hatter as he kept pressing on the barrier, obviously talking to himself again. Staring at him, she put her hand on the glass and knocked. He couldn't hear it but he saw the action, looking up at her. Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw the fear in his eyes, fear for her and for himself. She gave him a weak smile but he didn't smile back, that intense look that she linked to him when he was at his deadliest. She shook her head at him when she saw the worry in his eyes and mouthed for him to relax. Hatter stared at her for a moment before she saw his shoulders sag, as if he had fought some inner demon. He mouthed that he loved her and she returned the gesture, hoping to calm him down when she saw his agitation still growing. Hoping to calm the sudden fear she felt, fear that she may never see him again after they had come so far together.

"Alice," Jack said suddenly from beside her and she turned her attention to him. "We can meet them down further. They'll just have a longer route to go but we'll be able to meet up with them. We just need to start off and go fast so they don't have far to walk. It's not safe to stay here."

"I know," she answered, looking back at Hatter.

Hatter watched Alice, seeing her nervousness, and found himself rapidly losing his temper that they were separated. He didn't like seeing that fear in her eyes and as he watched he could have sworn that the glow she wore had dimmed out completely. Hatter was so intent on watching her that he nearly jumped out of his skin when the Knave put his hand on his shoulder. The Knave, still almost ashen and his breathing raspy, gave him a knowing look and a weak smile.

"She'll be fine, Hatter. Jack will protect her. We just need to go a different way to meet them," the Knave said but his attempt at reassurance did nothing at all when Hatter looked back, seeing Jack and Alice moving towards the stairs now. Charlie, having turned around now, cleared his throat.

"The Knave is correct, Harbinger. You know that Jack would not bring her to harm," he insisted. Charlie's words eased some of Hatter's worry and he slowly relaxed, backing away from the barrier.

"Let's make this quick then," he said as he turned to the Knave. The other man nodded, gesturing to the stairs to the left. He followed Hatter and Charlie to them, taking the steps slower than he normally would as he felt his damaged body starting to slow down. He didn't like being separated from Alice or Jack either, the knowledge that he had sworn to protect Jack making his unease and desperation to get to them double with every step he took.


	37. Bishops and Blunders

Jack led Alice up the narrow set of stairs, his hand on the holster of his gun. They were both tense, Jack reaching back and touching her arm when Alice started to lag too far behind him. She kept glancing down at the bottom of the stairwell, biting into her lower lip and he could tell that her anxiety was growing the further they moved along. Jack wasn't much better himself but he cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"It is just a few more halls, Alice," Jack said but he wasn't able to sound any more reassuring. He didn't sound confident and Alice tried not to notice.

Walking behind Jack up the long set of stairs he had chosen, Alice felt a cold knot of dread begin to draw tighter and tighter inside of her stomach. Her nerves were on edge even more the further they walked, and she kept her breathing shallow to avoid letting Jack know just how nerve-wracking this separation was. Had it been them all just agreeing to go different ways, it would not have bothered her. This, however, was someone cutting them off deliberately and despite Jack's reassurances, Alice knew that she would not relax until they met up with Hatter and the others once more.

Jack licked his lips nervously as he led the way, eyes on the markings on the walls. He knew every nook and cranny of this palace but that was not good enough when the Red King and White Queen's soldiers had infested his ancestral home. He was leading Alice on pure hope that at the top of the stairs there would not be a legion of Crows or Knights. The electricity was still surging through the building in rolling waves, making lights flicker on and off. It made it hard for him to see the very top of the high staircase spiral and his eyes ached from squinting through the darkness.

"How much further is it?" Alice whispered and he paused on the stairs to catch his breath.

"Two or three more flights. If the others are quick, we can meet them in less than ten minutes," he answered and adjusted his coat lapels to the side so that he could grab for his gun if he needed to. Alice caught the action and lifted a brow at it but Jack was starting off once more.

"Why does this place have so many stairs anyway?" Alice grumbled to herself but Jack heard her. Struggling to keep himself loose and ready, he took the opening as a way to keep off his own tension and try to ease hers.

"Well, it was based on the old hedge maze designs but gradually, it became the smartest thing we could do. It is always good to have many exits out of a possible trap," he admitted. "This whole building has numerous staircases. I used to explore it as a boy when we came here in the off-season of Court."

Alice didn't answer him, frowning to herself while she thought of her words. She didn't envy any servants having to go from one end of the Palace to the other, especially when her legs were beginning to ache from just this climb. Jack and his ancestors may have thought that stairs were a wonderful thing but right now, tired and sore from their travels over Wonderland, Alice was ready to disagree with him. Trying to keep her thoughts away from her own fear, she looked down at her hands, seeing the broken fingernails and the scratches on her arms. There was no question in her mind that she likely looked a wreck; she felt like one. In an absurdly self-conscious move she pushed her fingers through her hair and snagged them on a knot that made her wince.

Jack heard her gasp and turned around mid-step, clearly thinking she was in trouble. She gave him a sheepish smile. "Bad hair day," she offered weakly and he rolled his eyes, relaxing. But he had paused again, looking her over closely.

"Alice, are you all right?" he asked, bending down to stare at her face. Alice leaned back at the sudden close proximity, the sight of him swimming in her vision and making her feel ill.

"Of course I am," she said defensively and he looked her over from head to toe. Alice resisted the urge to pull her coat collar up. "Why?"

"You just look…" He waved his hand in the air to try to think of what he wanted to say. "Pale."

"Natural skin colour, Jack," Alice snapped as she took the step beside him and went to pass him. Jack clasped her elbow in her hand and held her still.

"Alice, while I like to believe that you haven't picked up any of Hatter's bad habits," he began and gave her a look when she glared at him. "Please, promise me that you won't do anything out of your league."

"Like what? Play a wicked game of chess?" she mocked as they continued up the stairs side by side this time.

"Alice, just try not to get into trouble to prove you can take care of yourself," Jack warned but Alice snorted.

"Thanks, Jack. That slice of wisdom would have been helpful a few days ago," she answered and Jack sighed, giving up. Alice, to him, was looking exhausted more than normal, like she had been 'burning the candle at both ends' for too long. Yet they had had their rests, been moving cautiously. Despite that, Alice looked like she was ready to drop. Deciding to just be quiet rather than antagonize her about it, Jack dropped half-a-step behind her and had his hand just behind her elbow. It was good that he did because she stumbled here and there. Whenever he caught her, she would straighten herself up, toss her hair proudly over a shoulder, and then continue on her way.

Jack would have admired it if only he wasn't so damn sure that Hatter would kill him if anything happened to Alice. They may have entered into an unlikely truce or, Gods forbid, a friendship, but Jack had no illusions about Hatter's intentions. If it came down to the very basics of who cared about who, Alice was the first thing in Hatter's mind and, looking at Alice from the corner of his eye, Jack knew that it was likely reciprocated by the young woman. She may have been acting calm about being separated from the others but it was likely eating her up as much as it was bothering him.

"Stop staring at me, Jack. I'm fine," Alice said as they came to another landing. Jack had to chuckle lowly and stopped beside her. Alice turned to look at him and eyed him. "What's so funny?"

"Threaten me all you like, Alice, but I'm not giving Hatter another reason to want to pound me into a pulp," Jack said while moving to check the door. Alice shot his back a confused look before sighing deeply. She had to squint to see through the growing darkness of the stairwell, barely making out the iron railing. Curiosity pulled at her and she crept to the railing, holding onto the iron while looking over the edge. Instant nausea rumbled in her stomach at the sight of the stairs below them that they had climbed, the constant circular build of the stairwell making the sight almost terrifying to her.

Jack grabbed her arm when he saw her sway unsteadily, shaking his head. "Do you know what they say about curiosity?" he asked Alice and she made a face at him while pressing her hand against her stomach to try to keep it quiet.

"I really don't need a lecture. Are we at least close?" she asked. Jack pulled her along beside him and gestured to the door. Alice looked up at the white trim and read the gold plated number 24 that shone dully above the door. When she looked at him, he gave her a grin and she sighed. "Thank God."

"It is just a short corridor over and we can meet up with the others if they were quick enough. Are you ready to run if we need to?" Jack asked her seriously. Alice frowned fiercely at him and he sighed. "Never mind, of course you are."

He cracked the door open slowly, listening intently before widening it further. He held out his one hand to keep Alice back while he slipped through the door quietly. Alice leaned close to the door, ready to spring through and help him if she needed to. But it was silent and Jack eventually opened the door wide enough to let her follow him. He had led them into another corridor marked with doors and glass windows that seemed to look into nothing but more windows. The contrasting décor was still there and Jack seemed to know the hall well. At Alice's questioning look, he pointed left.

"We're close to what was once the Royal Ballroom. Used it for planning and strategy lately. We'll have to see if we can get to the other stairs through there, so we can find the others," Jack whispered, leading the way again. Alice kept close to him, not daring to linger as that knot of tension in her stomach began to grow. It worried her almost obsessively that they had seen no guards on the stairs or in this corridor. She kept looking over her shoulder, thinking that she may see someone sneaking up behind him or her or some sign that they were going into danger. Something more tangible than what her feelings were telling her.

Without realizing it, Alice stopped and her mind slid into a vision of a small blonde girl wandering through the halls looking as confused as Alice herself felt. The girl was knocking on the walls, humming to herself as she toyed with two red roses that contrasted her pinafore. Alice watched as the girl passed her, going through Jack's body as he stalked stealthily down the hall. Jack turned around to see Alice standing there, staring at nothing at all and walked toward her, waving his hand before her face. She didn't blink at all, still staring with her mouth still half-open and slack.

Alice watched as the girl stared at one of the doors and pulled hard on the doorknob, giggling like it was some great joke. The girl disappeared through the door, dropping the roses before slamming the door shut behind herself. The roses disappeared the moment they hit the ground.

"Alice!" Jack snapped and she jumped. He breathed out slowly in relief. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just… I thought I saw something," Alice answered and cleared her throat. She met his curious look with a straight stare, trying to mask her nervousness. She didn't do a very good job, judging by his concern that she could see in his eyes, but he nodded and walked down the corridor again with her at his side, his hand guiding her elbow once more. While she would have normally protested that action, she could see it was something he was doing out of reflex and she let him lead her.

When he paused beside the door that Alice had seen the little girl disappear through, she stared at him with wide blue eyes. His hand went to the doorknob and she pulled back, her arm slipping through his other hand until he only had hold of her fingers. He looked at her, seeing her sudden fear and took his hand off the doorknob.

"Alice? What's wrong?" he asked lowly, eyes darting left and right. He was starting to hear the sounds of people moving down the halls and either it was real or he was becoming paranoid.

"I don't want to go in there," Alice answered, her voice low and almost child-like.

"Alice, we don't have a choice," Jack insisted but she looked up at him with strange eyes and he drew in a hissing breath. He needed her strong, needed her to be the woman he knew her to be. He wasn't sure if what he saw in her eyes was fear or resignation. "Alice."

"I don't know why, but I just don't want to," she stated, her voice so low he had to strain to hear her. "I just have this bad feeling."

"Alice," Jack started but before he could continue, she stiffened. Shaking her head, Alice straightened her shoulders and set her jaw into a firm, defiant line. The same look he knew very well whenever she had made up her mind to do something.

"But we have to, so let's go and find the others," Alice declared, moving away from him and opening the door. Jack studied the back of her head as he followed her through the door. She could still confuse him even now and the mood change had certainly puzzled him.

The feeling that Alice had didn't dissipate as she moved cautiously into the massive room, any wonder she may have felt at the immense elegance of the Royal Ballroom gone. Its tables and chairs were draped in white covers to keep away the dust, high ceilings dimly lit and decorated with silver chandeliers that hung high from the ground. The staircases lining the room were designed to admit the Court in the usual pomp and style, a low dias set at the base of it and now converted to hold a simple wooden table. Yet Alice saw none of it; she suddenly felt boiling hot and then in the next moment, it was like being put into a ice cold shower. The sensations made her feel ill and in a strange reflex she lifted her hand to her neck where her gryphon mark had once been. The area there was even colder to her own touch.

"Come on, it's just a matter of getting to the other stairs," Jack whispered in her ear before passing her to lead the way. Alice felt sluggish as she started off behind him, her muscles slow to respond. Jack had nearly made it to the door when something black and fast passed him, reaching the door and blocking his way.

A Crow stared at him impassively with its back to the door, body braced for a fight. Jack stared stupidly at it for a moment before backing up into Alice. She stared at the Crow, wondering if it would recognize her but she noticed that the Crow's strange black eyes now had a grey film over them. She grabbed Jack's arm when he went to grab his gun, seeing something else from the corner of her eye. The Crow was joined by a Knight standing on the other side of them, arms folded over his chest as his demonic horse-head bent slightly to stare at them. Neither made a move for Alice or Jack but the threat was very clear.

"So, what did we use to call this, my dear? Back in the better days?" a mocking male voice boomed in the massive room. Alice and Jack both stiffened as a tinkling female laugh rang out.

"I believe that this was once called a checkmate. Though I am not sure the rules for this one. You need actual opponents for a satisfactory checkmates," the woman answered and Alice felt that knot of dread that had been making her stomach ache suddenly clench hard. Biting back a moan of pain, she breathed out hard through her nose and felt the knot slowly release itself. She was not going to be afraid of this, Alice swore to herself. The tension was still there but she was determined not to let it rule her mind.

She and Jack turned around and saw the White Queen standing to Alice's left halfway across the room, the Red King to Jack's far right. They both looked so smug that Alice had the sudden childish urge to slap them both. The White Queen was dressed in an ivory gown that trailed behind her like a river when she moved in a slow strut towards them. She moved as if she was in no rush to meet them but the lazy walk made it more menacing. The Red King copied her movement, intimidating in his red armour and chainmail as he came closer and closer. Jack moved closer to Alice, his hand on his holster but he had gone as pale as she, eyes going from the Red King to the White Queen.

The White Queen stopped several paces away from Alice, her smile cool but unthreatening. "We meet again, Miss. Hamilton. You look rather worse for the wear," she greeted, a pale brow arched high as she raked her eyes over Alice's ragged clothing. She was cradling the Royal Sceptre in her arms, looking the part of the noble queen about to pass some royal decree. But Alice, looking over her closely, saw that the White Queen had lost what colour she had had, that her face was tight with strain and the lines at the edges of her eyes were more defined because of it.

"You look a little worn out yourself," Alice answered cattily, refusing to be baited by the imperious older woman.

"It was rather ridiculous of you both to walk so willingly into a trap," the Red King said as he stepped closer and began a slow circle around them both. Jack stiffened as Archibades gave his shoulder a tap. "One would think that you would know better, boy."

Jack turned around slowly and looked at the older man. The red tinge starting to cloud Archibades' green eyes showed the perversion of power coursing through his veins and Jack steeled himself against the intense gaze. Squaring his shoulders, he gave them the arrogant royal look he had learned at a young age. "Your destruction of Wonderland has gone on long enough."

"A pretty speech from someone who entered the Heart Palace with nothing but misfits to guard him. No great army, no resistance force. You have no great plans to stop me, nothing but legends and hearsay, and a girl at your side who likely has no great power at all," the Red King stated as he walked around Jack. Jack's face went blank, showing that the words had cut. Archibades laughed and reached out, touching Alice's shoulder. He jerked his hand away, frowning and looking at the White Queen. "The girl is cold."

"A sad side effect. Though she should be dead," the White Queen answered as she stepped forward a few more steps. She reached out and traced her fingers down Alice's cheek and the younger woman jerked backward. "Fascinating."

"Don't touch me," Alice whispered, pulling her coat tighter around her body to ward off both the chill in the air and the way the Queen's touch made her skin crawl.

"Where are the others?" the White Queen asked of Archibades, her eyes locking with his. He shrugged.

"Wandering the east halls likely. Shall I send several of my Knights to take care of them?" he asked but the White Queen looked at Alice, ignoring the question.

"That Hatter is with you?" she questioned and Alice was startled at the interest in the woman's voice. The interest was nothing good, by Alice's perception, the light in those pale grey eyes malicious.

"No," Jack answered, seeing the sudden interest as well. "What do you want from him?"

"A simple thing, vengeance."

"This was all about your revenge on Hatter?" Jack asked when Alice couldn't speak, her mind whirling. The White Queen threw her head back and laughed as if he had told her some great joke. Then she straightened her shoulders and gave the Sceptre a twirl the way a baton would have been twirled.

"Hardly. That would be an added bonus." Her eyes focussed intently on Alice. "So. Is he with you?"

"No." Alice thought of her misery without him and her face fell instantly, the lie slipping easily from her tongue and matching the heartache on her face. "He died of injuries when we escaped the Taiga."

The White Queen stared at her, trying to see through Alice's downtrodden face. "How curious."

"My Queen?" the Red King interrupted, pulling her attention away. "The Knights?"

"No no. I'll have my own take care of the Knight and the Knave. I did promise him some fun, since he was able to plant that warning barrier in the stair entrances." The White Queen's smile was cruel and she quickly forgot about Hatter's whereabouts when she had a chance to get what she really wanted. She stared at Jack and Alice. "I believe it is time that you both hand over what you carry on you."

Jack stiffened but felt a sword set against the ridge of his spine. Alice felt it as well and looked at him nervously; out of the corner of her eye, she saw two Knights standing just behind them. His own mouth twisted into a hard line, Jack reached into his trouser pocket and slowly removed the Stone of Wonderland. The ring glinted and when the White Queen grabbed it from his hand like a greedy child, Alice thought that it shone brighter even with the dark stone set deep in its middle.

"Finally," the White Queen whispered while she held it up to the light.

"A long wait," Archibades agreed, stepping to her side. Behind Alice and Jack, the pair of Knights gave rough chortles, their voices clogged in their throats. The White Queen turned her back to them and rolled the ring in her palm for a moment. She lifted the Sceptre so that the head of it pointing to the ceiling, the sapphires catching the light. Archibades stood like a soldier, watching her with an anticipating smirk, while Alice and Jack looked at each other nervously.

The Queen twisted the ridge of the Sceptre's shaft, clicking a small compartment open. She set the Stone gently into it, twisting the Sceptre once more and there was a hum as it clicked closed. Beside Jack, Alice saw the folds of the Queen's cape lift slightly in the breeze and gasped when she saw the gryphon mark there, fluttering back and forth between the narrow shoulder blades. For some reason, she felt her neck grow hot and she clasped her hand to her throat.

The Sceptre was humming a soft melody now and the Queen smiled as the sapphires glowed, her face tinged blue by its light. When she turned around, the smile was gone and she was staring at Alice.

"I believe that you and I have some things to discuss, but perhaps a demonstration? It is so good for you young people to see such old relics in use," she offered and Alice stepped away from her, her hand going to Jack's. He held hers just as tightly. The Queen saw their reactions and smiled, turning on her heel to one of the Crows standing guard near the door. Clicking the base of the Sceptre, she pointed it at the Crow.

"It is all a matter of having a little imagination and will," she said over her shoulder like a school teacher giving a lesson. The Sceptre's sapphires glowed brighter and the two marks on the Queen's skin shifted slowly, the green of their lines going blue as well. The gryphon mark went a brilliant blue and Alice winced, the pain excruciating in her own body as her neck felt like a hot brand had been set against it.

Jack steadied her as she swayed dizzily, not daring to look away from the sight before him.

The White Queen gave a sudden snap of her wrist and they watched as the Crow fell to its knees, squawking loudly in its human voice. It was clutching at its throat, head twisting this way and that. The body began to warp, strange black wings sprouting out of its back and the legs elongating. It became a harsh mockery of a real crow, growing to massive proportions that topped Jack by well over ten feet. It opened its drooling mouth wide and let out a raspy screech.

"This is wonderful," Archibades breathed out, his eyes glinting as he met the White Queen's eyes. He could see the effect the Royal Sceptre would have to bring such monstrous changes to his men, see how it could bring about a new division to his already strange army. It would make his forces invincible and they would trample Wonderland underfoot till it cried for mercy.

Then, just as quick as this new ambition came to him, the White Queen dashed it with an arch of the brow and she gave another twist of her thin hand. The new monster she had created screamed, its head thrown back to bellow another bird-like call before it froze into an ebony statue. The marks on the Queen's body were still a brilliant blue but she seemed weak for just a moment. The pain in Alice's neck burned and she gasped, suddenly realizing why it hurt so badly.

The White Queen was using one of her marks and with every move to use its magic she was stealing Alice's own energy.

With another wave of the Sceptre, the White Queen forced the statue to begin to crack. Tiny ivory lines spread over the statue's massive body as it began to crack quickly and finally, it shattered into pieces that fell to their feet like tiny gravel stones. the statue shatter into pieces. Archibades stared at her, shocked and in some considerable awe of her control over the Sceptre.

"So that is what it does?" he breathed out lustily and she smiled coldly at him.

"It recreates the will of one who wields it, but you have to be able to control it. That is where the marks come into play...well, the marks and one's own strength," she explained and her eyes went to Alice, seeing the girl's agony. A smirk played at the corner of her lips, dying when Archibades reached out and touched the Sceptre as if to take it from her.

"I have no real oyster marks," he grumbled. "But I suppose I can wield it, now that I have the mark you lent me so long ago. Then we can rule Wonderland together."

"Ah yes." The White Queen nodded solemnly. "But you see, **I** need that mark back. It will give this Sceptre a bit of a...kick, so to speak."

Archibades couldn't dodge her sudden movement, her fingers slamming into his throat. The move was precise and Alice recognized it as one that she herself would have used to disable an attacker. Her fingers almost itched in muscle memory what she saw and her mouth went dry as she watched the White Queen nearly cripple the far heavier Red King.

_Just what else had the White Queen stolen from her?_

With just one small move she had him on his knees and was staring down at him. The White Queen leaned close to Archibades and pressed her mouth chastely to his. A faint grey light went from his lips to hers and she sighed into his mouth while he struggled against her grip the way a bird would fight against a cat. By the time he was able to shove her off, the light had faded and she was wiping her mouth slowly. Jack, standing close to Alice, saw the red mists that had always trailed around the Red King were now gone.

"You...you stole it!" Archibades roared at the White Queen. She lifted her once perfectly unmarked hand, letting Alice and Jack see a new but tiny mark of a dragon that ran along the ridge of her knuckles up to her wrist.

She arched her brow again. "Just most of it, my dear. I've left just enough to let you have a bit of fun."

"You would dare," he began, stalking toward her threateningly. He was halted in his tracks when she pointed the Sceptre just beneath his throat and met his infuriated eyes with her cold ones.

"I would. Need I remind you that you are always going on about doing things the traditional way? That you always berated me for using my power so freely?" she asked. "Here is you chance. Take the boy. Execute him or give him to your Examiners...break him if you want."

Archibades backed off, not daring to step toward her while she carried the glowing Sceptre. "The girl?"

"She comes with me. She has something of value to me and I want to know why she lives. Then Wonderland will reach its end, my dear Red King, and you will have your chance to destroy it," the White Queen said before looking at Alice. "Come along, my dear. You look like you need a walk."

Her voice twisted into Alice's mind like a compulsion and the younger woman took hesitant steps toward her though she knew she shouldn't. Behind her, Jack yelled her name and went to grab her hand but found himself restrained by the two Knights at his back. Alice followed the White Queen like a lamb being led to slaughter, her head lowered and her steps sluggish, and they reached the doors leading deeper into the rear of the Palace. Two Crows took their place behind her.

"Alice!" Jack yelled again and she looked over her shoulder at him, her face almost grey. She gave him a small smile then and followed the White Queen through the doors. They slammed behind the Crows, the sound booming in the Ballroom, and Jack looked hesitantly at the Red King. Archibades stared back at him, a slow malevolent grin spreading on his lined face.

"I believe that you and I need our time together as well."

 

* * *

If it had been up to him, Hatter would have been racing through the halls and the stairways like the mad fool he could be, never stopping until he reached Alice and Jack. Never mind the danger he would put himself into...or the chance that he could be caught. He likely would have had to run into the masses of Knights eventually, likely been shot at or stabbed. Maybe killed, likely beaten, and even more likely, he would have some blood get into his clothing.

But as it was, he was forcing himself to think clearly and not with the anxiety pounding in his mind. He wasn't going to do something as silly as what he instinctively wanted to do. Not right now at least.

Charlie was winded from their sprint up the steps but he kept up with Hatter's quick stride surprisingly well. Hatter had, at first, been following the Knave through the halls but the older man was starting to lag behind, wheezing hard as he breathed. Even Charlie had passed him at this point and Hatter had to constantly check over his shoulder to be certain that the Knave was with them. The Knave was still giving them orders to go this way or go that way but he had to constantly hold himself up on the wall. The hurried pace was wearing him down hard and his eyes were squinted as if he were having a hard time seeing at all. Hatter slowed down and looked ahead of himself in exasperation.

"Come on, mate," he ordered the Knave lowly. "I'm not sure where we're goin', you know."

"I'm all right," the Knave insisted in frustration, the way he had to talk slowly in order to have the breath to speak showing that he was anything but fine. "I'm just tired."

Hatter stopped long enough to look him over. The Knave stared back at him, daring him to say anything but Hatter backed off. "All right. Let's just keep moving, yeah?"

The Knave nodded, pointing left to where the halls widened. Charlie and Hatter exchanged a brief look when the Knave turned to take the lead but Charlie gave the younger man a flap of his fingers to insist that he go first. Hatter shrugged, following the Knave. He overtook him eventually, the Knave's burst of energy leaving him quickly so that he took his place between Hatter and Charlie. He whispered directions to them, looking for the stairwell signs but seeing none.

His memory about this area of the Palace was foggy at best. Too many years imprisoned, too many days spent in strategy rooms, and not enough learning, the Knave thought wearily as he focussed on keeping his steps one after another. He had thought that he had escaped his fall in the White Manor with no more than a few bumps and bruises but just after their escape it had become clear to him that he was damaged internally. Now he was simply pushing to get himself to follow the others, to make sure that he could help protect Jack as he had sworn to do. The agony in his lungs threatened to make him fall once more but he kept his breathing shallow, not wanting to cause Hatter or Charlie to insist that he rest or worse...leave him behind when they realized how weak he was becoming.

They had come to a juxtaposition of the halls, lit up by bright white bulbs hanging from chandeliers overhead. Hatter peered around the corner, feeling the Knave come to his shoulder. The man coughed several times, the sound muffled by his sleeve pressed to his mouth. Hatter looked at him, seeing the blood staining the material but he looked away when the Knave raised his eyes to his.

"Which way?"

"We can get up to the Ballroom through the stairs. I just have to remember which one of the staircases leads up to it," the Knave answered.

Hatter gave a tip of his head. "Be real good if you could remember in the next five seconds."

The Knave bit into his lower lip as he tried to think it over, wracking his brain to think of which way to go. "Stay here," he whispered. "I have to see if the way is clear."

Before Hatter or Charlie could protest, he was slipping into the hallway and pressing against the walls as he went. Despite his obvious pain, he moved with incredible stealth and Hatter lost sight of him in the shadows. Hatter felt Charlie press close and saw that the old Knight was ready to question him but Hatter put his finger to his lips. The message was clear and Charlie closed his mouth and settled behind Hatter to wait.

The Knave moved quickly, counting the doors he crept past as he went. He clutched hold of his side, the tight bandages that bound his ribs no longer doing much good. Breathing in and out deeply now, he ran his hands over the doors, looking back and forth to make sure no one was following him and that no one was coming toward him. The doors led to a variety of places, if memory served, some to service elevators, others to the court apartments. But he knew that Jack would be going to the Ballroom and he remained focussed on it. The only moment he stopped was when his coat snagged on the ridge of a dumbwaiter elevator left open. He kept moving otherwise, checking each way and listening for anything. The halls, like many in the Palace, were empty and he relaxed just slightly, ready to move if he had to. He wasn't exactly sure how fast he would be able to move though.

When he reached the tenth stairwell door, he paused and put his hand on the doorknob. This should be the right one, but why was he hesitating to open the door now? Why did it feel like his hand tingle the moment he grasped the brass knob?

Pushing aside his discomfort, he let the door swing open and saw the iron stairs that ran in spirals from his feet upward. They were empty, the only sound the ping of water leaking to drop onto the iron rails. With a sigh of relief, he turned around to call the others and felt a sudden dull pain against his shoulder. As if someone had given him a clap on the shoulder. Turning around, confused, he looked at the stairs and saw nothing.

He made to step blindly through the narrow doorway and felt a sudden pain in his throat that was very real and very sharp. The sort that would follow a knife cut and he stopped himself. The pain of it shocked him to a standstill and he grew more aware how far away Hatter and Charlie were from him. He was alone...he should be alone here.

The shadows quivered and with a faint crackling sound, Chesh appeared the way a hologram might have.

The Knave froze as he stared at the Cheshire standing so casually before him. Chesh gave him that slow-spreading, vicious grin of his, the one that went nearly ear to ear, and tipped his head on the side. He flickered his eyes over the Knave with an expression of amusement and pushed his spectacles up his nose as if to take a better look at the pale man's ragged form. The Knave frowned in confusion at Chesh, lifting his hand to his neck and pulling it away with a small trace of blood. He stared at the drops of blood before finally looking back up at Chesh, who was no longer smiling.

"So sorry, Knave. But I think your time is passed. You did do what you wanted to do, somewhat," Chesh told him in a mocking yet friendly voice. Then his eyes hardened and the Knave put his hand to his gun holster. His fingers were just going around the butt of his gun when Chesh's hand lifted and slashed through the air from left to right and then back the other way. The Knave chortled, hands clasping at his throat and feeling the cuts made across his jugular, and he pressed his hands in vein to try to stop the spurt of blood. The cuts were deep and Chesh squinted his eyes at the man as he sank to his knees slowly.

The Knave managed to breathe out, struggling to hold onto his consciousness. He knew that Chesh had been smart, only striking out at him when he was so weak and dying already. "You'll meet your own end, Chesh. And you will wish for death."

Chesh smiled coldly while he wrapped his fingers in the Knave's short hair and tilted his head back, the fresh wounds on the Knave's throat gaping and weeping bright red blood. He knelt down close so that he could look the Knave in his now lavender eyes. "I don't take warnings from dead men."

That said, he lifted his short rapier again and stabbed hard into the Knave's belly, wanting to be certain that he would die. After the episode with the Queen regarding the Stone, he was not about to risk anything further. The flesh gave instantly to the sharp rapier and the Knave groaned when Chesh twisted the blade upwards. Chesh waited, holding the blade deep into the Knave until the man stopped twitching and, with a soft chortle of blood bubbling from his mouth, fell lifelessly forward into him. Sniffing in disgust, Chesh pushed him to the side with the manner of someone touching something disgusting before he stood. Calmly, he wiped the rapier clean with his handkerchief until it was sparkling silver once more.

Hearing the sound of someone running through the halls, he quickly closed the door to the stairs and stepped back into the shadows to wait.


	38. KingSide

Hatter kept counting in his head, looking around the corner anxiously but still seeing nothing. The halls were empty, the lights flickering on and off and giving off a strange mixed glow to the area. He had thought that he had heard the whispering down the hall, the sound of a door slamming closed but he wasn't certain. Considering the way he had been hearing whispering ever since they had entered the Palace, his cautiousness wasn't without good reason. He didn't know the Palace well enough to feel comfortable just wandering the halls like they had been and now he was becoming even more cautious the longer they waited. It wasn't built like the Hearts Casino, which had signs that pointed every which way, nor the White Manor which had a reason behind its insane halls. The Heart Palace was a maze of doors simply because there was so many rooms that had been built around the old palace and the many levels that had built on top of it.

Beside him, Charlie had leaned even closer and was now breathing heavily down the back of Hatter's neck, a distinctly uncomfortable feeling that made his skin crawl. Hatter shrugged his shoulders in irritation.

"Do y'mind?" Hatter hissed as he looked over his shoulder at Charlie. Charlie looked back at him and arched a thin brow.

"Mind about what?" he asked. "Is it the armour?"

Hatter grunted and swiped at the back of his neck, still shrugging his shoulders to try to get rid of the feeling. "Never mind." He looked back down the hall. "I ain't seein' anythin'."

"I could delve in the oracles, you know. I could plunder the depths of," Charlie began but Hatter reached back and clamped a hand over his mouth. The Knight had an annoying habit of talking far too loud in inappropriate situations. Charlie kept talking beneath his hand for a moment before he finally grew aware that Hatter was keeping him quiet for a reason. Hatter gave his hand a small squeeze meaningfully, the pressure on Charlie's mouth squeezing his lips shut.

"You can plunder those depths some other time, Charlie," Hatter whispered as he put his finger to his lips. Charlie looked at him in confusion, his mouth still covered. "Right now, we've got to find the Knave before he gets caught or before you and I get lost even further."

"Right," Charlie said when Hater removed his hand from his mouth. He smacked his lips together and thought it over before looking at Hatter again. "So...what are we waiting for?"

Hatter hesitated to answer, not sure himself why he hadn't followed the Knave already. It was just that nagging feeling, the one that had told him when he was being followed by a Jabberwock or by the Knights in the Taiga. That feeling was there and he put his hand to his gun holster uneasily, unclipping it. He had no love for guns, hated using them really, but it gave him some comfort to have it there when he had no other protection or body armour. The halls were empty though and he couldn't see anyone along the walls. There was no sound of Knights or Crows going along the halls so why hadn't the Knave come back? In the short time they had all been together, Hatter had found the Knave to be strangely the most dependable of all them. He had always been close around, never wandered too far off and always scouted reliably.

Shaking his head, Hatter motioned with his two fingers to the hall and stepped out across the tiles. He put his hand close to his hip, keeping low to the ground as he moved so that he was ready to run if he needed to. Charlie kept close to his back, fingers hooking lightly into the back of Hatter's coat so that he could keep up with the younger man. Hatter moved quietly down the hall, keeping close to the wall and stepping so carefully that his boots made no sound on the black and white tiled floor. Charlie's outfit made only the occasional clang or tinkle and Hatter found himself relieved because of it, considering the noise that Charlie normally made when they walked. He looked over the doors as he went, not seeing anything to distinguish them. In his head, he grumbled about why all of the Wonderland Royal Houses insisted on creating such mundane rooms and buildings that always had to look the same from door to door. He could easily gamble on the idea that even the servants quarters here would the same somehow.

Hatter decided that if they survived this, he was going to have a word or two with Jack about decorating this blasted place.

The abstract thoughts had distracted him from his anxiety but also dulled how alert he had been, so that when his boot met something slick on the tile he almost slipped to his backside. Charlie's grip on the back of Hatter's coat kept him from falling further and Hatter grabbed hold of Charlie's arm. His boots skidded again and he slipped into the wall, Charlie still holding onto him and keeping him from going all the way down. Using the Knight's hand on his arm to balance himself, Hatter stood and shook out his coat.

"Thanks," he whispered and Charlie nodded.

"Who would know that the servants would have waxed the floors so vigorously," Charlie commented lightly to break the tension and Hatter nodded before looking down. He frowned when he saw the dark puddle on the ground, seeing the print of his boot in it and the way the puddle had come from beneath the door he had fallen against. Both he and Charlie wrinkled their noses when they took a sniff of the air. Charlie cleared his throat and looked down. "Smells like..."

"Blood," Hatter murmured, crouching down and dipping his fingers carefully into the liquid. He lifted them to his nose and took a quick inhale of the sticky liquid. "Definitely blood...still warm too."

_Whose blood though?_

That forbidding feeling came back and he stared at the door they were just outside of, moving to the side and motioning Charlie back quickly. The White Knight pressed against the wall and watched as Hatter jerked the door open. He leaped back in time as a man slumped out into the hall, collapsing into a lifeless heap into the puddle of blood. Hatter and Charlie both cried out in shock before they recovered and looked around for anyone who may have heard them. Once he was certain that no one could hear them, Hatter stepped back forward.

Horrified, Charlie turned his head away as Hatter bent low and gently turned the man over. The sight of the Knave lying there, his throat cut and his bloody face frozen into an expression of shock, was like a slap to the face. Hatter swallowed, not wanting to believe that he was dead but he knew that it was so without even doing a useless check of his pulse. Murmuring to himself, Hatter reached out and closed the Knave's eyes slowly, bowing his head in respect. Charlie behind him was muttering softly, still horrified by the sight. Furious with himself for not being there to help the Knave, Hatter stood and looked back at Charlie, who had turned to stare down the dumbwaiter shaft. He clearly preferred the sight of it rather than looking at the Knave's body, and Hatter saw how shaken up Charlie was by horrific sight. Hatter clenched his right hand into a fist, wanting nothing more than to slam his hand into the nearby wall to vent his own anger.

"We're not alone, Charlie. We need to move on fast," Hatter said, slowly relaxing his hand and waggling the fingers. Charlie turned slightly, a green tinge to his face though he avoided looking at the Knave's body.

"But he's our friend...he deserved...deserves better," Charlie stuttered. Hatter knew what he was getting at; he didn't like the idea of leaving the Knave's body behind like this but he had no other choice.

"I know. We'll come back for him. But someone else is here and we need to get to Jack and Alice before anyone gets wind that we're down here too," Hatter warned and turned back to the stairs. He rubbed his hands onto his trousers and took a step through the threshold. Not knowing why at first, he stopped and stared around. He leapt back in time to narrowly avoid a small rapier being thrust towards his throat, the tip of it just nicking the skin above his collarbone. The sting of it startled him and he backed up further, staring in confusion into the dark stairwell. Then his eyes narrowed and Hatter saw a faint outline in the shadows. He lunged forward and grabbed hold of the outlined form, fingers wrapping into what felt like a tweed coat. He saw the glint of silver, lifted his arm to block the blow, and felt his coat rip slightly at the sleeve when the knife slashed out again. Yelling to Charlie to stay back, Hatter yanked the man out of the shadows and met Chesh's green-gold eyes.

Chesh gave him that strange grin before he shoved back hard at Hatter, the pair of them tumbling over the Knave's body and flying into the wall beside Charlie. Charlie yelled something unintelligible beside them, trying to pull his sword to help Hatter. He grabbed onto Chesh's shoulder and was shoved back away but he resolutely tried again. This time, Hatter's arm caught Charlie's chin and the Knight yelped, falling backwards. Hatter looked over and saw Charlie teetering.

"Charlie!" Hatter yelled, going to grab his ankle as Charlie tumbled down into the dumbwaiter shaft but he was too late. He could hear the clank and thunk as Charlie landed on something solid but Chesh's tight grip on his arms soon took his mind from his friend, yanking him back away from the dumbwaiter. Chesh held him up against the wall and grinned.

"Hatter, how nice to see you so...alive," Chesh growled close to his face, eyes going over Hatter's to the small gash still healing near his hairline.

"Wish I could return the sentiment," Hatter answered as he shoved the man back, sucking in a deep breath to recover his own wind. Chesh tripped backward, falling against the other wall without any of his usual feline grace. They stared at each other for a moment and Chesh's eyes glinted behind his yellow spectacles after a moment.

"I figured that you wouldn't break down completely. If you had...this would be rather less entertaining," Chesh said slowly, that awful grin still on his face. Hatter gave him an equally twisted grin, a trace of insanity lurking at the edges of it, and fixed his hat on his head.

"Glad that you find this funny, cat." He glanced down at the Knave. "Because it makes it so...so much simpler. Real simple, actually"

Chesh gave him a confused look and balanced the blade in his hand, eyeing Hatter's gun still in its holster. Deciding not to give the younger man a chance to use it, he charged forward and they met halfway across the hall. Hatter left himself open when he went to punch at Chesh with his right hand and the Cheshire took advantage of it, lifting his knee and slamming it into Hatter's vulnerable stomach. Hatter crumbled just slightly, recovering to retaliate with a hard blow to Chesh's ribs. Chesh grunted and fell backward with Hatter, tumbling through the stairwell door with him. Hatter managed to get his right hand out and slammed it against Chesh's cheek, keeping himself enough in check that he didn't break Chesh's jaw.

Chesh himself was starting to glow, using his magic to protect himself against the strength of Hatter's blow. He was still startled by the power behind it and fell to his side on the landing. Hatter stood over him, shaking out his hand before reaching down to grab at Chesh's coat. Chesh swept his leg to the side, tripping Hatter and as the man started to go down Chesh kicked up into his chest, sending him backward down the steps. Hatter teetered for a moment on the edge of the first step down, trying to grab at the railing as he went rolling down the round spiral stair case.

By the time he reached the next landing, he was so winded that he simply lay on the iron grating as he struggled to breathe. Hatter stared at the landing above him, eyes searching the dimly lit stairwell for any sign of Chesh following him down but finding none. He heard a door opening and closing several landings above him, likely to that Ballroom that the Knave had been leading them to. His anger demanded him to get up and charge blindly after the Cheshire, to kill him for what he had done, but Hatter forced himself to relax for a moment. Reaching up with his hand, he pressed his fingers to his temple and was inanely relieved that his hat still remained on his head. Hatter rolled to his stomach and carefully pushed himself up, still staring up the stairs and tipping his hat back a bit.

"Yep. This is why I dislike Cheshire cats," he grumbled to himself before charging up the stairs.

* * *

The Red King had insisted on leaving Jack standing, snapping at his fingers at one of his Knights to bring him a chair. In his opinion, after he had had Jack stripped of his gun, the young Heart was no real threat. He had made sure that Jack's arms were tied behind his back however, not wanting to take too much of a risk. Jack, standing still and forcing himself to stay as relaxed as he could, watched him warily. The Knight that had pressed his sword to Jack's back had moved back to his place near the doors, equine head held high in the air. The red eyes were no longer glowing though and it constantly shifted from foot to foot in as if irritated by his own stillness. The scuffing sound that the Knight's boots made Jack's nerves set on the edge and he clenched his jaw. Trying to tune out the sound, he watched as the Red King made a rather big show of dusting off the gilded gold chair before seating himself.

"So, at last. I have been dying to have a chat with you, you know," Archibades said, speaking as if he and Jack were long lost relatives and friends. Jack relaxed his arms behind his back and spread his legs further to balance himself. He raised his chin as regally as he could and stared back coolly.

"I cannot say that I have longed for the same opportunity," Jack answered, "but I was hoping to see you dead."

The easily spoken honesty made Archibades' eyes glint furiously for a moment. "Then you should have thought out your plans better. Your mother would have been ashamed."

"Well, I did not have a bastard version of magic on my side," Jack said with a slight shake of his head. The Red King smiled back.

"Didn't you though? Please. You had a Hatter on your side, whose mind is a magical trap on its own, and an Oyster who is clearly far more powerful than even my fair Queen had anticipated. You led a group rife with magic and did not have the wit to use it," Archibades said. "I am more for traditions myself."

"Traditions?" Jack barked out a laugh. "Traditions? If you were to go by tradition, you would not have tried to slaughter thousands. You have not have changed people against their will."

"To make a decent cake, you must break eggs," Archibades said simply, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat. "You are simply a weak king and you know that. You let your enemies live when you should have destroyed them, lingered too long on the possibility of harming those pitiful fools that you rule over."

His words were aimed at the insecurity that he sensed dwelled deep in Jack, the insecurity that he was no great king. Jack clenched his jaw, his teeth almost grinding together.

"What is the White Queen going to do to Alice?" he demanded and Archibades rubbed his hand over his close-cropped beard. He looked over at one of his Knights who was shifting still. Jack, keeping an eye on the Red King to make sure he was distracted, reached subtlety for his back pocket.

"How am I supposed to know? She does find the Oyster quite fascinating yet never explained why," Archibades answered simply and Jack slowly smiled, palming the tiny rapier from his pocket.

"She likely did not say much about her plans, did she? Just asked you to trust her and she would reward you for it?" Jack asked. He was just as well trained, perhaps even better trained, than the Red King when it came to political persuasion. "How interesting. One would think that if you are as clever as you claim that you would realize when a woman was using you to her own advantage."

Archibades' gaunt face pulled into even tighter lines. "What are you..."

"Did she tell you anything of her plan? Or did she just say that she wanted to rule Wonderland?" Jack snorted. "That is too simple for the effort she has laid."

His words sunk in very slowly and Jack watched as Archibades clearly began to think it over in his mind. He realized that he must have struck a mark in the Red King when he watched the man's eyes dart from side to side, his tongue flicking out to lick at his lips. For just a moment, Jack hoped that he had hit a spot inside the Red King that would distract him enough so he could unlock his shackles and attack before he could recover.

Then that hope died when Archibades threw his head back and laughed as if Jack had let him in on a great joke.

"You **are** rather like your mother, boy! But with a far better sense of humour I think." He stood in a flourish of red armour, waving his hand in the air. "But you do have a point! She likely thinks that she rules our agreement. Women are so terribly deceitful on the whole; in my experience, most will succumb easily to a strong hand. Yet sometimes, just sometimes, you find some that are just a little bit different. But still delightful fun."

Jack tried to ignore his words, hearing the faint click of the shackle lock and hoping that it wasn't heard. It didn't seem to be, Archibades moving slowly toward him with his hands crossed behind his back. He moved with a dangerous sort of swagger until he came to stop just a few paces from Jack.

"Something I am sure you are quite aware of," he said in a friendly fashion. "That girl you consider your friend is different and so is the woman who you were supposed to marry."

Jack stared stonily back into Archibades' red tinged eyes and refused to respond.

"She is still alive," Archibades offered as if giving Jack some gift in letting him know that.

"If you have hurt her, I'll rip your heart out," Jack threatened and Archibades arched a brow.

"But I have done more than that. Far more than that...you should be proud of her...she is fighter, your girl is. Oddly enough, I never deceived her as to what I planned for her." He paused and stepped closer to Jack. "Never gave her illusions." He took a step around Jack and whispered in his ear, "Never gave her hope. Hope for love or for freedom. Never gave her hope for the chance that maybe, just maybe, the man she loved was not an completely emotionless idiot."

Jack's fists clenched tightly.

"Let me guess. You what? Had some time spent in self-reflection, moments alone with advice, your guilt pestering your conscience? And now you have decided you love her?" Archibades asked. "Probably based on your memory of her, the one where she is some glorious beauty? I should really not let you be so filled with illusions."

He snapped his fingers at the Knight at the door and the Knight opened it, snorting like a horse at something in the hallway. Then he was pulling a bedraggled slip of a woman through the door, shoving her before him into the Ballroom. Jack stared, shocked, as Amelia was pushed further and further into the room until she stood beside the chair the Red King had once been sitting upon. Her head was lowered but her skin was like pink porcelain, a mask frozen like a strange mockery of her normal face. She was barely dressed, strips of clothing torn and dirty fluttering about her in the cold breeze that flowed through the windows. Even her hair, once golden and bright, lay in ropey thick strands down her back.

Despite it, Jack could stare at nothing else but her face. "Hatter was right," he murmured, almost unable to breathe with the way his heart began to pound as he stared at the once regal Duchess. He had never known such emotion before, had never felt his heart pound in such a way and knew that, despite the ache it almost caused, he didn't want it to stop. He jerked away from the Red King, who surprisingly let him go to where Amelia stood. Her head didn't lift when Jack drew close.

"Amelia," Jack whispered, wanting nothing more than to reach out and touch her face, but he stopped himself in time, remembering that he had to keep that illusion of being shackled. Not seeming to even hear him, she was wavering on her feet, eyes staring unblinkingly at her own feet. She seemed so fragile in that moment that Jack was certain she would fall to pieces if he did touch her, the strange change to her only increasing his desperation to save her. Up close to her, he could see the bruises that marked her cheek, the scratches that marred her once flawless shoulders and neck, the blood staining the edges of her threadbare clothing. Jack repeated her name several times, each time speaking softly to her, trying to get her to look at him. She didn't react to his voice, not even when he tried to say her name more forcefully to force her to look to him. Each time he spoke, her trembling grew worse.

"Amelia, look at me, please," he pleaded and her chin finally lifted but her eyes remained to the ground, not obeying him in the least. Taking in her face hungrily, Jack could only see that her one eye was so bruised that she had to keep her eye shut because of the swelling. Her other eye was lined with healing bruises, the sight of them only highlighting the way the blood vessels had broken, making the eye almost completely red.

"She won't answer you," Archibades said as he followed Jack and stood just behind him. "She's been broken, a mixture of Taiga magic that tore into her mind late last night. A play upon her fears, upon her desires, and now she is stuck within her own world, obedient to a fault."

His voice fell on deaf ears, Jack not hearing him as he stared at the battered woman. Her eyes were still on the ground and he felt bile rise in his throat, a mixture of pity and guilt gnawing at his stomach when he saw the other marks that disfigured her once flawless skin. Jack longed to reach out, to stroke her poor face despite the way the bruises made it look like a scarred piece of ceramic. He sighed and bowed his head.

"I'm so sorry, Amelia. I should have been here to protect you," he whispered. At his words, her eyes suddenly lifted and met his in a straight gaze. As Jack stared at her, he saw the haze in her eyes, saw the utter despair and agony, and knew that he was going to lose control of his temper in a moment.

"Though she has been a delightful companion," Archibades said slyly. Whirling on his heel, Jack let his hands slip free of the shackles and lashed out with his fist, catching Archibades in his throat. The Red King went stumbling backwards, startled by the suddenness and the strength in the blow. Jack breathed heavily, stepping after him and wanting nothing more than to beat the King to death. The Knights stepped forward to help their master, pausing in their restless shifting. Archibades staggered to his feet and Jack gave him a cold look, trying to figure out how to get out of this alive. Get out of this and save Amelia from whatever fate the Red King had in store for her. Then it slowly clicked into place. The sort of thing Hatter may have thought of and Jack was certain he had been around the other man too much now.

Archibades was steeped in tradition, still living from hundreds of years ago in times of warfare.

"You'd hide behind your Knights like some figurehead," Jack said. Archibades' face went red with anger, his eyes darkening.

"You dare to insult me."

"From one King to another? Yes, I dare," Jack snapped. Archibades' arched a red brow and smiled a cold smile.

"I have killed every man who dared to insult me, whether in war or in duel," he said lowly. Seeing his opportunity, Jack gave him an equally cold smile, still aware of Amelia shaking behind him.

"Then it is a duel then. The traditional way we once would have solved this problem in your day," Jack declared, the challenge firm in his voice. Archibades stared, startled at the young man's confidence and in his provocation.

"You are so willing to die for Wonderland to defeat me, like some hapless little martyr?" Archibades questioned. Jack stared back at him.

"I am."


	39. QueenSide

"Would you like some tea, or perhaps wine? Something to take the edge off?" the White Queen asked as she swept into the Heart Library with her usual elegance. Behind her, Alice wandered into the massive room, ignoring the Crows walking behind her in favour of taking in the three storey high bookshelves and the massive ladders that went the entire way up. The room smelled heavily of old leather and musty papers, making Alice long to sneeze. The books that she could see ranged from political coups made in the South Wonderland Forest to basic books on calligraphy, the sort of odd collection she might have expected from a Wonderland library. The White Queen's courteous voice passed over Alice's head; she knew that there was no sincerity in her words nor in the way she acted.

"No thanks," Alice answered as she paused at one of tables used to catalogue the Heart library. There was an old book stacked on top of the others, flipped open to reveal its worn pages. The large tome open had dozens of pictograms instead of written word and she frowned at the sight of it. She ran her fingers over the pages, taking in the pictograms of a rat, a cat, and a dragon.

The booked slammed shut, nearly catching her fingers in it, and Alice looked up to see the White Queen staring at her with hard eyes.

"Obviously you realize that direness of your situation?" she asked lowly and Alice stared back at her.

"Yes."

The White Queen's eyes raked over her. "You do not seem to. If you were wise, you would be begging for your life by now. For mercy. Even before I begin."

"I don't beg for mercy from psychopaths," Alice answered, meeting the White Queen's eyes. The Queen snarled and immediately slapped Alice across her cheek, Alice's face rocking to the side. As the Queen walked off, Alice clutched her cheek in her hand, tasting blood from where her teeth had caught the inside of her cheek. She wouldn't have normally said anything so coldly. What was wrong with her?

"You insolent girl! Who do you think you are?" the Queen demanded as she moved around behind Alice.

"I hardly know anymore," Alice whispered. "I've changed so much since I came here."

The White Queen snorted. "Do not be ridiculous. Oysters do not change in Wonderland. Oysters change Wonderland."

Alice turned around, staring at her. "No, we don't. If you think you have changed it, then you're deluding yourself."

"So...you know then," the White Queen said after a moment of silence. "How unexpected. I would think that with your intelligence you would never know."

"I know who you were. You aren't her anymore."

"Please do not use the old cliche of forgotten memories and how 'I would be a better person if only I remembered who I truly was'," the Queen mocked her. Alice stared at her, not daring to speak when she saw the way the woman was looking over her from head to toe. "And do not begin to compare yourself to me, child. You look as if you are the next thing in a Jabberwock's meal."

"No," Alice said with a cool grin. "I think you will find they like Knight-meat better." That earned her a confused look and she stepped away from the Queen, looking at the books. "Why did you bring me here? Why not kill me in front of the Red King and Jack?"

"As I said, you do intrigue me, young Alice. There is just something a little bit off about you." The Queen took a slow turn around the room, still holding the Sceptre in her hand like a weapon. Alice kept her eyes on the book but grew increasingly aware of the threat the woman was making just by holding the Sceptre. "But mostly, I cannot use this to its proper potential without all of your glow."

"I thought you stole it before," Alice snapped. "You tried to kill me."

"Of course," the Queen answered dryly. "Had you any noble upbringing, you would learn that one does take care of their own interests first. The real question is why you are not dead now."

Her eyes went over Alice. "A second mark perhaps?"

Alice stared back at her, not answering, but the White Queen smiled.

"So, a second mark. But even that does not speak of why you still live, why you've grown stronger."

"Maybe you aren't as strong as you think you are," Alice said. She knew that she had to draw the White Queen's attention away from her second mark, so that the older woman would not try to steal that once as well.

"A second mark merely protects you from dying if those manifestations were broken in two. You are starting to fade though, aren't you? You feel it," the White Queen stated and Alice clutched her hands together. Her hands were like ice. "The cold that seeps into your skin, the quiet you cannot explain, the fear and weakness. The true influence of the Taiga and the Wonderland powers, when you are so ill protected... it haunts you already, doesn't it? You feel like you may have lost yourself, that you gave up a piece of yourself. Your hopelessness will continue to pull you apart and you cannot stop it, because you know it for the truth. You are lost, like a small child. Eventually, without that slice of a glow, you will die. You are dying, even now. No special protection can save you from that, no knights in shining or rusted armour can keep you from it."

Alice sucked in a breath, the White Queen merely giving voice to her own fears. But when she met the cold grey eyes, she knew that the woman was doing it deliberately and not with any concern. She wanted Alice afraid so that she would be easy to defeat and Alice had her suspicions that the White Queen was lying about it being Wonderland itself that was trying to kill her. Alice had had more than enough of being manipulated by this woman to let her manipulate her so easily again.

"Is that what happened to you?" she demanded. "You lost yourself?"

The Queen snorted. "Please. I am a ruler of Wonderland. I control it!"

Something in her voice made Alice look hard at her. "You don't though. You lost control I was told. You lost your power."

"I lost much of my Oyster magic when I absorbed the Taiga's magic," the Queen allowed. "But I will return Wonderland to what it should be, to what it will be. The moment I regain that power."

"And that's worth killing thousands of innocent people? What are you going to do? Turn everyone into your monsters?" Alice asked and the White Queen smiled.

"Hardly, my dear. I believe that a complete deluge is necessary. It is what good writers do, you know. Crumple up pieces of badly used or badly worded writings and throw them away," she said and walked away from Alice to one of the desks. Setting the Sceptre down, she picked up a letter opener and began to twist it slowly between her fingers. Alice felt unexpected horror fill her.

"You're going to destroy Wonderland. You aren't looking to just enslave people like the Red King believes. You are going to actually destroy the whole world...erase it," Alice said lowly. The White Queen gave grimace.

"You do make it sound so terrible when you say it that way, child." She clipped the edge of the opener against her nails. "But you are rather clever to guess that."

"But you'll kill yourself too!" Alice argued.

"Of course not. I will remain," the Queen said and Alice shook her head.

"For what reason? Standing over a wasteland is your great plan?" Alice pointed out, taking a few steps toward the Queen. She wanted nothing more than to slap the older woman back to her senses but as she looked at the sinister expression on the Queen's face, she doubted that the Queen had any sanity left.

"To rebuild. It is our right, Alice, as Oysters, to rebuild Wonderland. What better way than to strip everything so that it is bare and clean, like virgin snow? No chance for imperfection or poor planning then," she said. "Back to when this world was truly wonderful, when there was true order in its strange existence, one that still could be controlled. So that those created to live here are the way they should be."

"No one has the right to murder a world because their own fantasy about it went poorly!" Alice snapped as she made to step closer. The White Queen lifted a hand and Alice found herself frozen in her place. The Queen stood straight and strode over to Alice, placing the edge of the letter opener against her throat. Alice didn't flinch as the sharp edge pressed into her skin, her unwavering stare just as cold as the Queen's.

"You know nothing, girl. What fantasy world did you see when you first came here? Or were you so wrapped up in your pitiful past to not notice that this place needs to be remade?"

"I saw a world different than my own, that's all," Alice answered and the Queen leaned closer.

"Distracted by far less important things then?" the Queen asked snidely. "All that did was get your father killed."

Alice ignored the implication with some difficulty. "I didn't come back here to listen to an old queen bitch about her life was ended up not being some perfect legend."

"But you came back to do something. Coerced by your lover," the Queen said, her nobility wavering to speak more bluntly and, Alice thought, with a hint of jealousy.

"I'm not afraid to love him, " Alice stated, "nor was I ready to give him up to rule as a Queen. Why did you not love his father enough to let him leave your side completely when you rejected him like a spoiled child? Why didn't you let him to live on his own with his own family without haunting his every step?"

The White Queen didn't answer but her eyes warned Alice of the deadly line she was crossing.

"I love Hatter but I did not come here the first time to find love. I came here as a woman looking to rescue a friend, to right a wrong. I didn't stay to escape some bitter reality I did not have the nerve to face," Alice said, not completely sure why she said it so confidently. The words niggled at her, the faint memory that the words had come from not her own memory. The White Queen sucked in a breath that showed that she had struck a sore spot.

"How did you know that?" she demanded and Alice gave her a genuine look of confusion.

"I...I don't know."

The White Queen lifted a hand and touched Alice's cheek. Alice flinched at her hot touch and looked away. "So that is why I was able to move so easily, used such strange manoeuvres of a fighter, had such instincts," the White Queen whispered. Her grip hardened and she forced Alice to look her in the eye. The petite girl stared up at her, setting her jaw tightly. "I absorbed some of you and you absorbed some of me. Not much, but just enough."

Alice, staring into her grey eyes, remembered her easy knowledge of all of those stories, of her easy speech to the Crows and why she had been able to understand how to use her glow easier without Chesh's encouragement. "Just enough," Alice whispered. The letter opener pressed deeper against her throat and Alice leaned away from it and the Queen's other hand.

"Oh?" the Queen asked and her eyes snared Alice like a cobra. Alice stared, compelled to explain though she would have fought it if she could. She could hear the power in the White Queen's voice, the strange modulation that pulled at her.

"I didn't need Chesh to coach me on my glow...on how to use it to part the mists...how I could change a Knight back to a Suit," Alice whispered. The Queen looked her over, seeing the glow that had started to shimmer on Alice's skin the moment she had touched her. The heat between her own shoulder blades was nearly unbearable as the gryphon mark fluttered impatiently back and forth. It seemed to be feeling its bearer around and the Queen dropped her hand from Alice's face, not wanting to touch her if it meant this stupid mark would cause her more pain. It wanted to go back to the young Alice and she had no intention of letting it.

"The Oyster glow is strong," she allowed. "But to battle Taiga magic, you must have part of it on your side, and you do not. Not with Chesh returning to my side."

Alice's mind whirled as she ran the recent episodes where she had used her strange powers in some way, tried to think of a pattern. There was something there, she was certain of it. As the White Queen stood staring at her, the pattern formed in Alice's mind and she stifled a gasp. It was a guess...only a guess but the best she had.

 _Hatter was always at my side_ , Alice realized and blocked the thought just as quickly as it came. _He had been in the Taiga before. Is it possible that the Taiga had rubbed off on him somehow? That his family changed him?_ She saw the Queen staring at her still and lifted her chin high. She was going to protect him as best she could.

"Then I guess this just chalks up to being unexplainable," Alice answered obstinately, pulling herself out of the Queen's hypnotic spell.

"I suppose." The Queen looked her over and then walked back to the desk. With alarming speed, she slammed the letter opener's point hard into the desk. "But you must understand my dilemma, Alice. As fascinating as I find you, I really do need that power of yours. You know that you are nothing, Alice, you've always known that. The only thing you are here is a pawn and in the Taiga, that is all you were to me," the White Queen said and Alice stared back at her.

"Then why haven't you been able to kill me?" Alice demanded.

The Queen shrugged. "Is there a reason why I should care what it means?"

"It bothers you," Alice whispered.

"Only very little. It is not something I will lose sleep over, child. Perhaps the Taiga was deceived but I highly doubt it. Someone gave you this illusion of power, this hope and believe in yourself that is really unfounded. I should have been able to just drain you of it," the White Queen said.

Alice didn't answer her and the White Queen stared at her.

"But I doubt that is possible, am I right? I would need you broken for that to work and yet you aren't. You've grown somehow since we have last met," the Queen said. "Perhaps the work of some old ghost, so set on puffing you up as an enemy of mine."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alice answered.

"Please don't play at being stupid." The Queen held up a hand. "I know all about Grey Hatta lingering in my Manor. I would not doubt that he would attach himself to his son's lover to have his revenge on me."

"You would certainly deserve it," Alice sniped back at her and those cold grey eyes narrowed.

"You actually enjoy the company of that family line? Chesh did tell me of the little episode with the Red King, how your lover likely lost his mind when his father's old magics finally snapped back into the trap they were made out to be," she said. "Did you enjoy it when he nearly broke your arm?"

Alice went pale, realizing just how much the White Queen might know by absorbing Alice's personal strengths and some of her memories. Did she know of Alice's fears, of her worries, of the betrayal she had felt at Hatter's secrecy? Seeing the White Queen's amused smile, Alice had the sneaking suspicion that the woman did.

"I wish I could continue this lengthy conversation with you, Alice," the White Queen said, "but I do have other things to do that are far more important. You've told me nothing yet given away far too much."

"I won't let you destroy Wonderland," Alice threatened and the Queen shrugged.

"Admirable, but how do you propose to stop me? You have no idea how to use any sort of magic. What is your plan? To stop me by glowing like some firefly bug?" She actually laughed, a tinkling sound that irritated Alice the moment she heard it. She laughed and there was a faint mad edge to it, the sort that Alice had heard in Hatter's voice at one point when the Red King had delved too deeply into his mind.

"I had hoped that maybe you were a normal human, able to see how wrong you are. That you had a heart," Alice answered and she shook her head. "But I don't think you have had a heart since you broke Grey Hatta's and set about controlling the White House, controlling Wonderland itself."

The Queen snorted. "Emotions, while strong, Alice, have absolutely no place in politics. You are too stupid to realize that."

"And you are too insane to realize what you are actually doing," Alice retorted and the Queen seemed to fly toward her. She stopped just before Alice and bent her head close to Alice's, nose just touching her nose. She used the head of the Sceptre to lift Alice's chin painfully high.

"Insanity, child? Perhaps it is time you learn what insanity is here when Wonderland distorts and tears into your dreams. Perhaps, just perhaps, you would like to experience the madness your beloved Hatter experienced?" she asked lowly, her voice strikingly different from before. There was a monotone to it that made it more intimidating and Alice resisted the urge to back up. A Crow appeared at her back, holding her arms tightly to her sides. When she looked up at it, it was staring away from her as if it could not bear to look at her. Looking back at the older woman, she steeled herself against her own fear.

"You can't scare me with that," Alice answered and the White Queen smiled.

"Can't I?" Using the Sceptre, she tilted Alice's head to the side and Alice struggled to hold back the sudden fear she felt when the sapphires began to glow a soft blue. The White Queen's eyes loomed close and Alice reluctantly met her gaze, ensnared once more by the strange intensity there. As they stared at each other, the grey iris of the Queen's eyes slowly fading until her eyes were completely black. Trapped like a mouse faced with a snake, Alice felt her resistance drain away, replaced only by the exhaustion she had been feeling even since the Queen had stolen her gryphon mark.

"Every experience teaches us things," the Queen said, the monotone in her voice still there. The Sceptre's strange light glowed brighter and using the edges of the sapphires, the Queen drew a glowing checkerboard on Alice's cheek. "Of course, sometimes experience can kill us in the process."

The Sceptre glowed brighter and there was a faint chink of the Stone clicking around inside its holder. The White Queen let the power run through her and began to manipulate the magic that had been stored into the Stone. The stolen magics from the Oysters that had been captured were raging to get free and how more perfect could it have been to use it now. Staring into the White Queen's eyes, Alice felt as if she were falling into some vast dark pit and unable to find anyway of breaking that fall. Alice felt herself slipping away as a multitude of voices demanded her attention, her mind quickly warping around her travels in the Taiga and transforming them into a bitter, twisted version that terrified her. She saw her friends for only a moment before an array of nightmares flew before her unseeing eyes. Falling to her knees, she clutched at her head and screamed at the agony that throbbed there.

Watching with malevolent joy, the White Queen let her fall. Still holding the Sceptre aloft, she focussed her power again and watched as a pale blue stream of light began to flow between the Sceptre and Alice. The Sceptre hummed in her hands and she felt it letting that light, the remnants of the glow Alice had carried so easily, out. She absorbed it through her own skin, relishing the warm sensation and she quivered. On her back, the mark was twitching about, trapped by her power, and it burned. She ignored it in favour of trying to steal as much of Alice's glow as possible.

The flow of power stopped suddenly and her eyes flew open, staring at the Sceptre's now dim blue sapphires. It seemed to have turned itself off and she stared suspiciously down at Alice. The girl had stopped crying, staring blankly and muttering to herself. The power hadn't quite sunk in yet, the Queen realized and then looked to the Crow that had held the girl. She thought that she saw a flash of pity in the creature's black eyes but it was gone. Her eyes still black with power, she gave him a warning look. "See that she dies of this and then take her body back to my Examiners to make sure she is drained of any power she may have left," she ordered. "I am going to the high towers. Do not disturb me there."

"Yes, your Majesty," the Crow answered and bowed his head. He backed up away from the fallen girl who was now twisting this way and that, while the White Queen turned and walked sedately out the passage to the far of the room. She was long gone, never hearing his squawk of shock when Alice screamed again. There was an odd glow as the White Queen's power picked her up and forced her to hang in the air. Moving the way she might have if she had been underwater, Alice twisted in the air to try to escape the agony in her body and head, no longer seeing the room around her. She stayed in a strange stasis as she wept for sanity while her mind plunged down a dark hole.

* * *

Charlie hit the dumbwaiter lift hard, knocking the wind and consciousness clean out of him for several minutes. He had fallen only a flight of stairs by way of comparison, but the impact had been unexpected. The lift had been stuck between floors for some time, the cable rusted and groaning under the new weight. When Charlie came to his senses, he reached out and clung to the cable like a child to a blanket, desperate not to fall. He squeezed his eyes shut, fully expecting to continue to plummet down until he realized that he was sprawled ontop of an old wooden pallet once used to cart supplies back and forth between the floors.

"Bollocks," he grumbled as he opened his eyes once more and tipped his head back. He couldn't hear anything beyond the creak of the lift and the lift doors seemed so far away from him. Clicking his tongue impatiently, he maintained his tight grip on the cable and got to his knees carefully.

"Hatter!" he yelled upward, suddenly desperate to hear the thick North accent shouting down an insult or two.

Silence.

"Blast it all." Charlie pulled down on the cable, seeing if he could lift himself using the cable's pulley system back up to the lift doors. The cable creaked and he pulled harder, pulled until his shoulders began to ache and his hands burned. The pulley lifted him only a few inches before shuddering to a stop and Charlie gave up, sweat beading on his brow. There was no way to go back up, he simply didn't have the strength to do it.

He looked over the edge of the lift cautiously and saw how far down it was. The cable glimmered a rusted silver even in the darkness and Charlie looked back up.

"Oh...well," he grumbled and gave the pulley a jerk upwards. There really was no other way around it. Up was not really an option anymore, how much worse could down be? The lift buckled and the cable released itself, zipping through and Charlie felt the lift begin to fall. As it began to pick up speed, he shut his eyes.

"Tallyho," he whimpered and prayed to land in one piece. The lift suddenly plummeted without any sign of stopping and he braced himself for any sort of impact. It felt like forever, the racing of the lift downward into darkness, but Charlie managed to open his eyes just enough to see the faint light of doorways passing. To keep himself from vomiting, he began to count the doors as they zipped past, saying them out loud in a high, squeaky voice as he prayed to live through this.

When the lift finally lurched to a stop at the twenty fifth door, Charlie surprisingly found himself completely intact and with only a bit of a burn on his fingers from where he had clenched hold of the cable. The platform he had been braced on swayed unsteadily and Charlie felt his own legs still shaking from fear of landing. He didn't dare look over the edge of the platform, not wanting to know if there was yet more of a distance to fall down through. His stomach certainly couldn't take anymore, Charlie figured, and he was not sure he could do much more falling without fainting. And fainting was not dignified for a Knight in his opinion.

Gingerly, he scuttled over to the edge of the platform closest to the the closed lift doors. The dumbwaiter doors were tiny by comparison to normal elevators but he could see the light peeking out beneath them. Charlie had never been so happy to see light before in all of his long life and he put his fingers to the tiny crack that ran along the middle of the door. Pushing down with one hand and lifting with the other, he slowly managed to pull the top and bottom doors apart.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, absolutely delighted with himself as he slowly poked his head out of the dumbwaiter door. The temperature down here was almost freezing cold and Charlie sneezed at the mouldy smell that filled the air. It was like going into the damp Underground Tunnels all over again, a memory Charlie was not terribly fond of.

"Right then," Charlie said aloud to himself, "come on, old boy. Time to find our way back up."

His palms slipped on the ledge he had been holding himself onto and Charlie promptly tumbled heels over head onto the floor beneath it. His armour made a loud clatter as he fell and he groaned as he lay on the ground, winded momentarily. He leaped to his feet quickly, regretting the action immediately as he fell back against the wall to try to calm his spinning head. As he blinked through his turning vision, Charlie took in the room he had landed into. It was difficult to see; like much of the Palace, the lights had either been destroyed or switched off. He could just make out the stark dark red and grey walls and a large ring of keys hanging on the wall.

Then he heard faint whispers, the sounds of people moving.

"There's someone out there," a young woman whispered near him.

"You're seeing things," another woman answered.

"No, I see it too...he ain't a Knight and you know those things are the only things that wander up and down these halls," a man said, his voice wary but excited. Charlie stood upright, listening carefully.

"He's got armour though, he could be a trick made by those strange Examiners we were brought to," the second woman protested and from the other side of the room Charlie heard coughing.

"You a trick?" a man yelled out at him.

"A trick?" Charlie asked, astonished.

"You work for that Red King?" the man tried and Charlie was immediately offended.

"Certainly not! I am a White Knight, a member of what was once a glorious piece of our history!" Charlie exclaimed in irritation as he stepped forward and saw that the circular room was actually ten cells. The reason why he hadn't seen the cell bars was because there was so many people crowded inside of the cells that their dark forms blended together.

"White Knight, Red Knight...same thing ain't it?" another man asked.

"It is definitely not!" Charlie stated. "Who are you people anyway?"

The man laughed. "We're not exactly guests. Red King grabbed us all from the low levels where we were hiding, demanded our allegiance. Those that agreed got turned into statues anyway. Those of us that ran or resisted were brought back for torture."

"Terrible course of events," Charlie muttered as he shook his head. He saw the ring of keys still hanging up and limped toward it. There were ten cells exactly and he grinned to himself. He jingled the keys in his hand and quickly went to work, scurrying from door to door and unlocking them with only a bit of difficulty. Everyone within was still cautious about this newfound freedom and Charlie stepped back. "Well...are you all coming?" he demanded.

The first of them had just stepped through the threshold of the cells when they immediately recoiled, gasping in shock and dismay. They were staring behind him and Charlie immediately groaned, knowing that something was going wrong as he turned around.

The Black Knight stood impassively, his back to the one exit they had from the holding cells. He hadn't drawn his sword nor were there any other Knights with him, but he still cut an imposing figure when he stood highlighted by the doorway light. His black horse head turned this way and that way, looking at each cell in turn. Despite their greater numbers, none of the Wonderlanders trapped inside of the cells made a move toward him; they were too terrified by what they had already seen the Knights do to want to challenge such a massive Knight. Charlie himself felt more than a little bit of fear but swallowed it as best as he could.

"White Knight," the Black Knight said with a courteous if not cold voice. Charlie squared his shoulders and nodded his own greeting, not trusting his voice yet. The large Knight looked him over and finally stepped away from the exit. He still remained unarmed and relaxed, the sight still unnerving. His dark horse eyes flicked over Charlie's face, the long nose twitching in amusement. "Your companions sent you to free the prisoners?"

"I would call it a happy accident personally," Charlie said, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. The Black Knight shrugged, not really interested and Charlie cleared his throat. "I take it that this is where you and I will have our own duel, a battle yet again?"

"For pawns?" the Knight asked in return, his tiny ears darting forward.

Charlie frowned. "If that is the way you wish to put it."

He drew his sword from its scabbard and brandished it before himself. The Black Knight did an odd thing in not going for his own weapon and he simply folded his arms over his chest. If he had had a human face, he would have likely arched a brow and grinned. Charlie frowned at him harder and the Knight tipped his head on the side.

"I see."

"Maybe we could rush him," a man whispered behind Charlie, still too nervous to try to run out of the cell. A woman snorted.

"Not likely. I've seen what he did to my neighbours in the East Garden District. I don't want to end up like them," she whispered back. The Black Knight seemed to listen to the comments going and back and forth, ears flickering this way and that. Charlie stepped toward him and held his sword in the air.

"Shall we have yet another Battle of Knights?" Charlie declared and the Black Knight stared at him again.

After a long pause, he simply answered, "No."

"It shall of course hold all the...No? What do you mean, 'no'?" Charlie asked, bewildered. The Black Knight squared his shoulders.

"I mean no."

"That is not an acceptable answer though!" Charlie stated and he saw the Knight's eyes roll.

"You are most definitely out of practise, White Knight, if you do not remember the full force of the Rules of the Checkerboard Taiga," he declared. Charlie stared at him, confused for a only moment before he started to follow the Black Knight's thoughts.

"That is such old magic though," he pointed out, ignoring the fact that the Black Knight was giving him a clear path to the door. The people around them slowly began to slip by the massive Knight but he made no move toward them.

"You've seen how this world has changed. Clearly old magics are still in existence," the Black Knight answered dryly. "The Rules of Combat, as you recall, is that when a game is in practise that when a Knight is defeated he cannot battle his conqueror yet again. You could say that luck is on your side."

"Nothing is stopping you from summoning your legions of Knights though," Charlie argued and the Black Knight's ears pinned.

"True. I am not doing this just because of the Taiga." His horse like face swung towards the door, watching the people slipping through. He sighed then and Charlie thought for a moment that he saw exhaustion in the equine face of the Knight. "My time in this world was over one hundred years ago. I want no part of this dark world where the rules are not obeyed, all this darkness and brilliant neon lights."

Charlie, still hesitant to believe a servant of the Red King, edged toward the door himself. "You are letting us go because you are...tired?"

"Hardly. I am letting you go because if I do not, then the Taiga's power will trap me in its grip forever and I will never be free," the Black Knight answered. "So I suggest you get those people out of here before I change my mind."

Charlie nodded and then looked up at the ceiling. "No...Alice. I must protect her!"

Absurdly, he stepped toward the dumbwaiter and this time the Black Knight stepped before him. "No, you can't."

"I most certainly can!" Charlie retorted and the Black Knight's ears pinned to his head again in agitation.

"The Rules of the Taiga, Knight. You remember them. Your friends entered a deadly chess game and you and I are out of play. Your friend will need to protect herself," the Black Knight said and when Charlie made to go by him he snorted. "Lead those people out. Save their lives first."

Charlie opened his mouth to argue, but felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. It felt like the time he had battled the Black Knight, the magic that had surrounded them trapping him the way it had trapped the other Knight. Stunned, he realized just how much the Taiga's influence had come into play and that this was a chess game after all. Without much choice and terrified that if he defied the old magic of Wonderland that the unthinkable may happen, he gave the Black Knight one last look before he quickly followed the last of the prisoners out the door.


	40. Duel

The glass shattered the moment the ribbons of blue magic hit it with a devastating force, shards slicing into the air like small bullets and imbedding into the wood panelling of the opposite wall. The room trembled for a moment and then the lean figure went flying out through the now open glass barrier, slamming into a table. The table fell apart under his weight and glass fell around it from his shoulders and hair, tinkling to the floor, several old paintings toppling to the ground and cracking in half as well. The magic that had shattered the glass continued to careen around the room like electrical charges for a few moments, filling the air with a burning smell before they finally disappeared.

Hatter coughed as he lay on his back, lifting his hand and rubbing at his forehead. He sucked in several deep breaths through his mouth noisily, before he rolled to his knees and picked himself up from floor with a groan. Using his toe, he flipped his hat up into his hand and then plopped it onto his head, smoothing the brim of his hat with a perfunctory swipe of his hand. Had he been able to find a mirror, he would have noticed that he looked far worse than he had just minutes before, his lower lip split open and slices made in his coat and shirt from a rapier that had been far quicker than he had anticipated. The room he had landed into was an old dining parlour long abandoned by the Court but unlike the rest of the Palace its bright violet tinged lamps had been lit by the magic that had just coursed through the room. It gave his skin a pale glow and he caught sight of himself in the window's reflection.

 _Definitely worse for wear_ , Hatter thought absentmindedly.

He looked back to the wall and glass barrier he had been thrown through, not seeing his attacker. He had come up the stairs to the door that Chesh had disappeared through but instead of it being the Royal Ballroom that the Knave had mentioned, the way had changed. The door had slammed shut behind him, trapping him in an area of the Palace he had not been through and that was even more confusing than the White Manor had been. This was somehow more like the servants' areas, filled with closets and tiny rooms with the occasional man or woman frozen like porcelain statues within them. He hadn't dared to linger in those places, especially when such bizarre magic was being used. Hatter knew that Chesh was trying to lead him away from Alice and Jack, and he knew that Chesh was succeeding. Every time Hatter had tried to turn away to get to the stairs he knew were nearby, the rooms would change or the doors would disappear. He had watched the halls twist and then straighten into a different pathway, saw the doors flicker from sight and leaving only bare walls.

Hatter was in danger of losing his temper and he had had such good control of it now.

 _Perhaps too much control_ , he thought, _especially when Chesh just blasted me through a thick glass barrier into another room_.

Hatter stared at the wall, not seeing Chesh anywhere inside of the room. He had never really caught sight of Chesh once since he had followed him into this strange maze of rooms, always a fleeting glance of a tweed coat whipping past him before he was sliced at with a shining rapier. Chesh, much like the cat Hatter figured him for, was toying with him. The tiny cuts that had been made were making that clear enough. But the Knave's death was fresh in Hatter's mind and he was still cautious enough, often twisting out of the way of the rapier at the last moment he could. The last time though he had moved a little too slow and gained a decent cut on his arm for his slowness. The pain of it still burned but the cut was not serious enough, only traces of blood and making it little more than a scratch compared to what it could have been had he not moved.

"Where are you, you damn cat?" Hatter whispered as he squinted through the light. He held his breath, listening hard to the silence of the room. Then he heard a flick of a coat being brushed back and too late he tried to move out of the way as Chesh darted before him. Chesh's wide grin loomed in his vision just before the Cheshire stabbed upward and the rapier slice through the leather of Hatter's coat. It just missed burying itself in his stomach when he managed to lean back but it still sliced an agonizing path against the outside of his ribs. Hatter cried out at the pain of it and fell backward into the wall. He clutched his side and gasped for breath as Chesh flicked out of view once more as if he were made of nothing more than fog.

"Too slow again," Hatter muttered to himself in irritation while he pushed himself upright. "Come on, you should know better."

Hatter pulled his hand from his side, the cut not deep enough to injure him mortally but enough to give a good flow of blood that was hot and sticky on his hand. Grunting, he jerked his hand away and looked up again. There was still no signs of Chesh that he could see and he whistled lowly, shaking his hand before wiping a bloody print onto the pristine white paint when he pushed himself away from the wall. The room went silent once more and he stilled, listening through the silence more closely this time. He didn't like the idea of being caught by the Cheshire once more, because who knew how bad this next blow could be? Standing still, again he heard the sound of cloth moving and footsteps nearing him and he counted the steps in his head.

Without thinking about it, Hatter lashed out with his right hand into the still air and it connected with a satisfying crunch against warm flesh. He hadn't swung hard enough to kill, controlling himself this time, but the blow was hard enough that Chesh fell out of the illusion he had wrapped himself within. The air rippled like one of the Taiga glimmers, shining a brief silver and blue before the glimmer split apart like a gash. Hatter looked away from the intense bright light that pulsed, shading his eyes with his hand as he waited for it to fade. When the light blinked out, he opened his eyes to watch as Chesh went skittering across the room, falling back against the wall while clutching his jaw and moaning in pain. His legs had buckled beneath himself and Hatter shook out his hand while his vision cleared, waiting for Chesh to make a move.

The Cheshire was panting for his own breath, his brown and black striped hair soaking wet against his skull, his clothing. The exertion he had suffered changing the rooms to trap Hatter and the extent that he had used his own personal magic to hide himself was the equivalent to running a marathon to him. He dripped in sweat and he swiped a hand across his eyes as he picked himself up. Hatter was close to him now and he lashed out blindly, catching Hatter on the cheek. The younger man turned his head to the side to avoid getting his eye gouged and Chesh tried to spring to his own feet. He only reached a crouch before Hatter had hold of him by his throat and was slamming his head back against the wall.

"You killed him," Hatter said as he pinned Chesh against the wall. Blood was dripping from a cut above his eye and the cut on his cheek, and he shook his head to try to dislodge it. "Didn't even think twice about it, did you?"

He pulled Chesh in close and then slammed him back against the wall to emphasize his words. Chesh's head gave a bang against the wall that made Hatter feel just a little bit better. Then again, he was quite certain that anything that involved reducing Chesh to a bloody mess would make him feel better. Much better. The knowledge that he had been right about Chesh was no great comfort to him when it had resulted in such incredible betrayal and death. He didn't want to kill him yet, not yet when he felt that darkness in his head. He wasn't sure what killing the Cheshire would do to him and he wasn't sure that he really wanted to find out.

Chesh chortled for breath under Hatter's crushing grip and opened his eyes wider. They shone an odd green through his yellow spectacles and he gave Hatter a grin. "Of course I didn't. I was told to do my job and I did it. Same way you would," he said simply. Hatter leaned close to him and his fingers tightened on Chesh's throat, pinching so that he could feel the edge of Chesh's throat compress beneath them.

"Really the wrong answer, Chesh," he answered just before he slammed his left fist into Chesh's stomach. Moaning, the Cheshire folded over at the pain of it and saw the right hand coming out towards his head, this time unchecked in its strength. Eyes widening, he ducked in time to avoid the blow and Hatter's right fist buried itself into the wall with a loud crash. Startled, Hatter tried to tug his arm backward, his hand catching on the wood and plaster.

"Bugger," Hatter murmured as he realized he was stuck and when he looked at Chesh, he saw that the other man grinning. The Cheshire knew exactly what Hatter was thinking. Chesh slammed up with his knee, catching Hatter in his stomach and sending him to his knees with the impact. The strength of the blow made Hatter feel like he had been kicked by a Jabberwock and he gasped for breath when the wind was knocked out of him. Chesh took advantage of it, grabbing hold of Hatter's shoulder and forcing him to bend over before he punched up hard into Hatter's side. Hatter didn't cry out as Chesh continued to land blows in his vulnerable side, trying to see through a haze of pain a way to pull his hand free. There was a slight crack that came from his side, an explosion of pain, and Hatter knew that he had broken a few ribs from Chesh's hard strikes. His knees buckled and he almost fell when Chesh let him go and backed up, Hatter twisting his hand desperately in the wall as he struggled to free himself. When Chesh made to grab his dropped rapier, Hatter wrenched his hand out of the wood and tackled him to the floor quickly. They rolled together for a moment, Hatter finally straddling him but unable to get a good enough hold to keep the other man contained. Squirming, Chesh rolled to his stomach and grabbed hold of the rapier's hilt, Hatter's hand grabbing his wrist to try to keep him from lifting it. Chesh elbowed him blindly and Hatter almost fell back before he lunged back at Chesh's hand again. Growling in an almost feline way, Chesh slithered over onto his back and slammed the rapier into Hatter's shoulder.

Hatter screamed at the pain of it as the rapier was buried to the hilt into his shoulder, the sensation like a white-hot poker being shoved into his skin. He still straddled Chesh but he lost his concentration, eyes shutting against the pain as the blade angled dangerously close to his heart. Beneath him, Chesh grunted and slapped his hand hard across Hatter's face. Giving a twist of the rapier to be certain it stayed in Hatter's shoulder, Chesh shoved him off, rolling over on top of him and grabbing hold of his throat. Feeling the racing pulse under his fingers, Chesh squeezed hard enough that Hatter choked for a moment before he released him just slightly. He angled Hatter's head away from himself and put his two fingers over Hatter's eyes, pressing down against the lids fiercely.

"Why do you keep fighting? You should be mad," Chesh growled. "I am curious, I admit, as to what it is that you are hiding."

Unable to resist, he gave Hatter an uppercut that sent the younger man's head cracking into the tile floor, knocking him into a daze. Chesh stared down at him and pressed his other hand over Hatter's closed eyes again, pressing hard as blue energy crackled from his hand over Hatter's face. His eyes went over Hatter. He was a Cheshire after all, and inquisitiveness was a common trait. Never one to back down from his own curiosity, he tried to pierce the barrier that had long protected Hatter's mind and heard the strange snap of a metal trap being triggered.

_Too late, he tried to jerk his own mind away from the spell he had tried to weave and was only sucked further down into Hatter's mind. Unlike the Red King, he fell into complete darkness with no sign of doors or lights, no creatures scampering about. Just total darkness that likes that he had never seen before. But like the Red King, he felt an incredible pressure; as if someone had placed a yoke on his shoulders with rock-filled buckets on either end. Pressure that made his own mind scream to be let go. He felt like he had been doused with cold water and then put into a hot furnace, and suddenly he couldn't bear the mounting terror he was unable to stop himself from feeling._

_"I never liked cats," a familiar voice muttered beside him and he opened his eyes to see that Hatter was standing beside him. A Hatter dressed differently than the one he currently had pinned to the floor of the parlour. This Hatter was dressed in brown clothing, a porkpie hat tipped back from his eyes as he stared at Chesh._

_"What are you hiding?" Chesh demanded and Hatter gave him a cold grin._

_"Did you really think I would tell you?" Hatter retorted and Chesh gave him a smirk._

_"It could be the difference between your Alice living or dying."_

_Threatening the mad edges of Hatter's mind turned out to be the wrong thing to do when the Hatter that stood before him grabbed hold of him and stared into his eyes._

_"Wrong threat, cat, when I've already had enough of people threatening her and trying to get into my head," he whispered. His fingers tightened on Chesh's neck and he leaned forward. "Get out of my head."_

_He gave Chesh a throw backwards and Chesh felt like he was falling again through the darkness, unable to grab hold of anything to stop himself from falling._

Chesh groaned as his mind came back to himself and he popped his real eyes open to stare down at where Hatter lay still beneath him. Only Hatter's eyes were open and he was staring back at Chesh with a quiet intensity, his hands still trapped between them and the rapier still buried into his shoulder. The blood was oozing out of the wound through his shirt and coat, but Hatter's eyes were what snared Chesh first.

Such mad eyes.

They were almost completely black as he stared back at Chesh before he gave him a wicked grin. Chesh swallowed audibly and barely blocked the blow that came to his chin. This time Hatter did not check the power behind the blow, only Chesh's slight lean backward keeping him from having his entire cheek broken. Instead, the blow dislodged several teeth and he fell to the side, spitting out the broken teeth as he got to his hands and knees. A gob of blood rolled down his chin and he heaved for breath. Hatter rolled over onto his own knees, wheezing for his own breath around the pain his newly broken ribs.

"What is she going to do to Alice?" he demanded as he stood. Chesh was still nursing his own agonies and spat out a mouthful of blood. His mind was still stuck in the unexpected darkness of Hatter's mind and when he looked up, he saw Hatter wrenching the rapier out of his shoulder with more than a little pain. He didn't cry out though, the blade sliding easily free from his body. Hatter palmed the rapier before throwing it far to the side, out of Chesh's reach, and he stared down at Chesh.

"I...I don't know."

Hatter shook his head and flexed his fingers at his side. "Wrong answer again."

He kicked out hard and caught Chesh in his stomach, the impact making the weaker man groan and clutch at his ribs as he fell to his side. Bending over, Hatter grabbed hold of Chesh's collar and hauled him in close, his right hand lifted menacingly. "What is she going to do?"

"Rule Wonderland. It's what she always wanted to do. And she can...once your girl's power is drained and she regains her old powers," Chesh answered truthfully. Then that sly grin was back. Even with Hatter obviously ready to kill him, he was going to make his point known. "Shouldn't take much."

Hatter glared back at him. "How is she going to do it?" When the other man made no move to speak he lifted his fist back in warning.

"Come on," Chesh said, spitting a mouthful of blood to the side before looking up at Hatter again. "Use your head. You're in the tallest building in Wonderland city. How would you do it?"

It wasn't really an answer but Hatter knew what he was driving at. He had no time to keep bandying words with the Cheshire and he focussed on what Chesh had done. "You betrayed Alice and the others. I warned you about that when we were in the Taiga. You obviously didn't take me seriously."

Chesh snorted, bravado wavering slightly as he kept his eyes on the dark liquid gaze Hatter had. "I owe my loyalty to the Queen, I owe my freedom to her. Not to some whelp of an insecure girl you pant after like she was a bitch in heat."

His snide words had the effect he had been bracing himself for. Without Alice there to stop him, Hatter's mind began to twist with rage and he struck out hard, catching Chesh in his cheek. The bone gave a crack as it gave under the impact. The Cheshire howled at the pain, cradling his jaw for a moment before Hatter hauled him up again. He struck him again and again, holding onto Chesh's collar to keep him close enough to feel every ounce of strength behind crack of Hatter's fist. The blows continued in the same pattern until Chesh was certain his skull would split apart, until he wished it would. It was as if Hatter was selecting each bone in his face to be broken individually and Chesh could no longer feel parts of his face. Hatter's eyes were an unfathomable black, only the whites of his eyes lending him a human look.

Chesh managed around his broken jaw to mumble out, "Just like your father, aren't you? Losing yourself because of an Oyster woman."

The words stopped Hatter the way a bucket of ice water might have and he froze midway through a blow. He blinked, seeing Chesh as if for the first time and seeing the contusions that made the Cheshire almost unrecognizable. He could feel Chesh's blood sticky and hot from where it had spattered onto his hands and he dropped Chesh back to the ground with a sound of disgust. Like it or not, the man had a point and Hatter shook his own head to rid it of the darkness he could feel begging to be let out still.

"I won't kill you, Chesh, even if it is what you deserve. I'll let Alice and Jack decide what to do with you," Hatter said lowly.

Chesh had been waiting for Hatter's loss of concentration, too crippled to do more than focus all of his remaining power into his words. His lips began to glow a strange silver and Hatter looked down, seeing it. Thinking Chesh was about to try to strike out once more, he grabbed hold of Chesh's neck and stared into Chesh's eyes, now bloody behind his broken spectacles. He could make out just the green circles of his irises through the blood and he stared in wary confusion.

"I curse you, Hatter," Chesh whispered and as he spoke his words formed odd silver smoke rings. As they both watched, the rings settled around Hatter's neck like a noose and he stiffened at the hot feel of it. He stared down at Chesh in shock, unable to move. Chesh grinned at him with weak satisfaction while the smoky rings tightened and caused Hatter to cough. "You'll never be able to return to the Other World the way you have in the past. You'll lose yourself into madness, the kind that even your family would never have prepared for. You'll kill those you love the moment you step across that threshold. You'll have to live without **her**. A double sided curse...for when you stay here, without her you will lead a miserable life, cursed with lonely bitterness...just like your father."

The power in Chesh's voice faded, the last of his remaining magic used up in his curse. Hatter shook his head, the words echoing in his ears, and he stared down at Chesh. The Cheshire had a satisfied smirk on his face and Hatter stared back at him for only a moment before slamming his head back into the tiles. It knocked him out instantly and when he lay still and faintly breathing, Hatter relaxed but only a little. He had to get moving, he knew it; some dark feeling was starting to niggle at the back of his mind that Alice was in more danger than he had been. Grabbing Chesh beneath his armpits, he hauled the thin man into the hall and jerked open the door to one of the servant's closets. He dumped him in there with no concern as to how he landed and slammed the door shut again, propping up a chair against the doorknob to keep him from opening the door again.

Wiping his hand across his bloody mouth, Hatter quickly stripped off his coat and flung the ruined leather coat to the side as he jogged toward the door. He had no place in his mind for more curses and he tucked Chesh's words to the back of his mind. He didn't believe in curses, not before and certainly not now.

He had to get to Alice.

* * *

Jack was, for a grudging moment, thankful for the strenuous and demanding upbringing his mother had inflicted upon him since the moment she had given birth to him. Despite his opinions, and he had certainly voiced those, that duelling itself was an archaic and ridiculous custom, she had insisted that he be the perfect heir. That, of course, meant that he would do everything that she said and that would included sword fighting. Lessons in swordplay had been fit in between daily lessons about etiquette and royal custom. Considering the sudden and recent turn of events, Jack was thankful for it but he would never, ever, admit that to his mother if he saw her again in her exile.

The sword that had been tossed to him by a Knight was light enough, a few grams too heavy in the backhand he thought, but it fit him well enough. The curved hilt wrapped around his wrist to protect it from a blow, the fencing style of blade the norm for duelling. It was heavier than the other swords he had practised with though and he whipped his hand through the air to see if he could get used to it quickly. The Knights were still standing near the doors, still shifting foot to foot. Now, however, they were starting to make explosive snorts and were shaking their heads the way a horse may if it was irritated by a fly. The snorting echoed in the ballroom and was quickly wearing on his nerves.

He just wish he knew why the Knights seemed so restless. They hadn't come forward to attack him in the minutes since he had challenged the Red King, hadn't really moved at all. They just shifted around and kept their hazy eyes to the floor, horse heads tilted this way and that in between shaking. There had been no signs that they were wanting to move either and the Red King had not ordered them about like he normally did. They just stood there.

The Red King himself stood some distance across from Jack, resting his sword on his shoulder. In the minutes since Jack's challenge, he had not ceased in his taunting of Jack. Jack would have thought he may have exhausted every insult he could think up but the Red King had kept going, covering everything from Jack's intelligence to his father's cowardice. But Jack had ignored him, keeping his eyes either on his sword or on Amelia. The Duchess was standing to one side in between two of the more massive Knights, resembling a disfigured statue for she never once lifted her head. As Jack made to walk across the floor toward the Red King, he chanced a look at her and saw that she had still not moved.

He had been hoping to see something of life within her but the more he watched her the more he realized how wrong he would be to hope for that.

"Are you ready yet, boy?" the Red King's voice boomed in the cavernous ballroom and Jack jumped, snapping his head up to look at Archibades. He had stripped out of some of his armour and the smirk on his face was condescending. "I don't have all day, you know."

Jack pushed Amelia from his mind and walked away from her towards Archibades, so intent on ignoring her that he missed the way her eyes lifted to follow him.

The sound of his boots clicking on the black and white tiled floor filled the air and Jack measured his strides slowly. He was rusty on sword play and he hoped that the Red King would be as well. But as he watched Archibades give an expert twist of his sword, he wondered if perhaps this was a poor plan to fight the older man. Archibades came from a time when duelling like this was standard, when swords had been a King's weapon. Jack came from a time and family that relied on words and politics...and at worst, guns.

Reading his face, Archibades arched a thick red brow. "It is a little late for second guesses, Heart," he commented and Jack gave him a terse smile.

"I've been thinking something over," Jack offered as he slid into a defensive stance. The Red King copied his action.

"Oh?" he asked indulgently.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I just wondered if your blood is black instead of red."

"I doubt you will have the opportunity to learn that," Archibades answered and suddenly flung himself into an attack. The furious volley of blows surprised Jack and he fell back into a defence, parrying the blows just barely. The crack of steel on steel rang in his ears and he darted to the side, followed immediately by a twist of his sword. Archibades caught it in his blade and then scraped his sword down and out, catching Jack's guard hand.

Jack jerked backward, shaking his hand at the stinging cut. It was tiny and barely weeping blood but it hurt enough to make him shake his hand. Archibades chuckled and stepped back, tapping his finger onto the blade of his sword. He looked at the faint drops of blood on its edge and then eyed Jack.

"First blood already. You **are** quite slow, Heart. One would think you have never done this before," he said and Jack tipped his head on the side.

"You could say that," he answered before snaking his sword out. They tapped swords again, formality winning out for the moment. Instead of going into his stance, Jack let his sword rest by his side, looking over the Red King warily as he circled him. Archibades mimicked him, looking for an opening in Jack's casual position. Jack did the same, not wanting to make the same mistake again of underestimating the older man.

Archibades quickly grew irritated by the lapse in movement and saw the way Jack kept his left hand too low. He darted forward, thrusting his sword to the gap to try slash at Jack's unguarded hip. Jack spun out of the way and quickly sliced his sword against the Red King's thigh. Archibades almost fell forward, the shock of pain startling him and he clasped his hand to his thigh. Unlike the cut he had given Jack, this was deeper and he could feel beneath his hand the way the flesh had been opened. Pulling his bloody hand back, he looked up at Jack with emerald eyes that were growing increasingly bright.

Jack made a mocking frown. "It would seem you do bleed red. A bit of a surprise really."

Archibades growled and pushed himself forward, this time the volley of blows made without the teasing he had been doing before. Jack stumbled back at the blows, surprised again, and fought to parry them off so that he could move offensively. They moved about in a strange deadly dance, Jack's youth handicapped by his inexperience, while Archibades' experience was hampered by his years of captivity. They were fighting harder than either was used to.

* * *

Amelia wasn't certain when exactly she had been put into this hypnotic lull. She remembered, vaguely and without any great detail, waking up after helping the others escape from the cells. There had been no question that she would likely be killed for such actions, so waking up had been a surprise to her. She had been brought before the Red King, who was now flanked by an older but still very beautiful woman who had been pale as the moon. One look into the woman's eyes and Amelia had forgotten her fear of the Red King in favour of absolute terror at the malevolence she had read in the woman's grey eyes. Then those grey eyes had held hers and slowly turned into bottomless black pits that had drowned her, capturing her mind and hypnotizing her into submission. She had been nothing more than a tiny figure hiding in the corner of her own mind, watching as Archibades delighted in this new version of herself so placid and accepting.

She had still been able to hear him though when he told her just how he planned to kill Jack and the others when they came to fight them.

The numb sensation had continued as she had been dragged about by the Knights but the moment she had heard Jack speaking it had broken slowly apart. It was like hearing a voice calling her name while she was trapped under water and she had tried to push through the mists in her head to reach the voice. Her instincts, confused and almost broken by the Red King, had warned her that it was a trap but her heart hoped differently. Like waking from a deep sleep, she dipped in and out of awareness in the moments after Jack had spoken her name. She had watched him walk by on his way towards the Red King, heard his voice again, and struggled harder.

Then, with the first clash of swords, her mind had pushed through it and she had felt herself surface. With a gulp of air, she lifted her head and her eyes went wide and staring. She struggled to contain the sudden nausea that threatened to upset her stomach completely and felt tears tracking down her cheeks. Her body responded sluggishly and she tried to lift a hand. It felt like it took all of her strength to do just that and she whimpered, wanting to curse herself for it the moment the sound came from her lips. But the Knights to either side of her were deaf to the sound, both shaking their heads and rubbing their hands up and down their hideous faces as if they had been afflicted by a rash. They had dropped their weapons to try to ease the strange pain they had been in. Neither of them saw as she put a hand to her knotty, dirty hair and felt the one shard of glass she had left, one of a few tucked into her hair so many nights ago when she had broken the mirror after seeing herself.

Her attention broke when the shard pierced the tip of her finger, the pain startling her and she dropped her hand. Amelia looked up and out, hearing the sound of sword fighting growing more and more intense.

"Swords?" she croaked to herself. _Who in Wonderland used swords these days?_

Seeing Jack parrying a blow that came close to decapitating him, she realized in an instant what he had done. _Stupid, foolish man!_ she thought to herself, her anger bolstering her and making her more and more aware. It would be just like Jack to do something so pigheaded and reckless. The relief that he was alive made it more infuriating that he was sword-fighting with the more experienced Red King.

 _That has to be the Heart in him,_ Amelia thought as she watched mutely, not daring to move and attract attention. _He just has to do something so idiotically dramatic...and brave._

Her thoughts on his bravery wavered when she saw him being pushed steadily backward towards the dais' stairs. She opened her mouth then, wanting to shout a warning when she saw the Red King make a move to the left. Jack went to block it and went tumbling down as Archibades swept his own leg out and hooked it on Jack's leg. Struggling to catch himself, Jack twisted but his boot caught on the stairs. Horrified, Amelia could only give a small scream, harsh and quiet from her scratchy throat.

* * *

Jack thought he heard a woman scream the moment he went toppling backwards, his boot heel slipping on the marble steps and sending him sprawling. His sword skittered away from him and he Archibades pressed forward, delighted in this opportunity, and stamped down with his heel. Jack rolled to the side, hearing the marble crack beside his head, and he tried to get to his knees. Not to be deterred, Archibades slammed the butt of his sword down against the back of Jack's head.

The young Heart crumpled at the pain, falling flat onto his chest on the stairs. His back was heaving as he tried to breathe, stars swimming in his vision. Both he and the Red King had suffered a multitude of small cuts and some bruises when the sword fighting had come to exchanging the occasional punch or kick. The pain screaming in his head made those cuts and bruises fade in comparison. Archibades angled himself to the side and then kicked hard and up, catching Jack in his vulnerable side. Jack's body jerked halfway in the air, a strangled sound coming from his throat and he tried to feel out with his hand to find his sword. He thought he felt the sword hilt in one moment but then the sword was gone, kicked out of reach by Archibades. Jack groaned, finally managing to open his eyes all the way. He was trying to get his hands beneath himself when he felt a boot crunch into the small of his back, the heel pressing into his spine.

Behind him, Archibades leaned down and grabbed Jack by his short hair, hauling the younger man up and into an awkward arc that put tremendous pressure on his spine. He kept in his crouch and slid his sword around the front of Jack so that it rested just under Jack's jaw. He made a 'tsk' sound in his throat.

"Did you know that in all of my years of experience, that I always found that the Card Royals were sometimes one of the last ones to scream when tortured?" he asked conversationally. Jack hissed at the pain. "And sometimes, if I was very lucky, they were the first to scream and how they liked to scream loud and long."

Not able to answer, Jack braced himself as he felt the heel on his spine dig in deeper.

Thrilled to have won, Archibades didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching until they were just behind him. Frowning, he chanced a glance over his shoulder and looked Amelia in the eye as she stood just behind him. There was no hypnotic lull in her eyes, no sign of her being under any sort of power or control.

"That's not right," he muttered just before she thrust the shard of glass she held into his left eye. He fell back from the blow, screaming in agony as he landed on the stairs with the shard of glass imbedded in his eye. Relieved at the loss of his weight, Jack rolled to his side and grabbed his sword before turning over. The moment he saw Amelia standing over him he froze, staring at her in shock. The mask-like skin she had been afflicted with was gone, leaving only her bruised face that he took in hungrily. Amelia stared back at him, her eyes going over his battered face before drifting back to stare him in the eye.

"You're late," she whispered. "But I knew you'd come back."

"Amelia..." Jack started, not sure what he wanted to say or what he should say. He could only stare at her and she stared back.

They were too intent at one another that they didn't see the Red King launch himself at Amelia until it was too late. He had her knotted hair bundled in his hand before Jack could move and he wrenched her head back until she screamed in pain. He stared down at her from his one good eye, the other dripping blood and still holding the shard of glass.

"Insolent little bitch," Archibades growled as he shook her like a sack of grain. "I think that this defiant act of yours has grown rather stale."

Her eyes widened and then closed just before he threw her hard and away from him, sending her flying through the air until she crashed into one of the ballroom's pillars. Archibades snarled, watching as she lay still finally before he whirled to finally finish what he had begun with Jack.

It was a shock when he found Jack so close to him that he could see the blue of the younger man's eyes and even more of a shock when Jack grabbed hold of his throat before shoving his sword through his belly. The blade slid easily past the leather armour, angled upward in a perfect strike to pierce the Red King's heart. Archibades coughed, so startled by the blow that he didn't feel any pain. Jack reached up with his other hand and wrenched the shard of glass out of Archibades' ruined eye, causing the man to scream in pain before the sound caught in his throat. Jack's face was expressionless as he stared into Archibades' emerald green eye. He didn't speak as he twisted the blade to the left so that the edge buried itself deeper in Archibades' heart and this time Archibades gasped, starting to fall away from him but Jack held him upright.

"You deserve a longer death. A more painful death like the ones that used to be used as punishment for crimes such as yours, the ones used by my ancestors," Jack whispered lowly. "But I'm not them. And I'm not like you."

Archibades said nothing, unable to with the blood starting to fill his mouth and the matching agonies of both his chest and eye overwhelming him. Jack merely stared at him.

"It is enough that you die," Jack whispered and when the insane light in Archibades' eye faded, he gave his sword another hard twist to insure that the old King was dead. Archibades fell away from him when Jack shoved him away and as Jack watched, whatever strange power that had kept the Red King alive for so very long faded, leaving the corpse of a shrivelled old man crumbled on the bloody stairs.

Then there was a faint rushing sound and Jack turned on his heel, seeing the Knights shaking more vehemently now. As one, they fell to their knees, hands beating at their faces in agitation. Jack stared, bewildered, as their horse heads began to stretch and twist, the bones slowly shrinking beneath the skin. The horrible screech of bone on bone filled the air but he still watched, surprised to see that the horse heads were changing. One by one, their faces glowed a flash of red and then became their human faces once more, bruised but human all the same. They all fell to the floor, muttering to themselves and crying in relief to be free of the nightmare they had been trapped within.

Unable to help himself, Jack didn't linger on them, instead racing over to where Amelia lay crumpled on her side. He dropped to his knees, setting the sword down so that he could touch her face with a trembling hand. She moaned at the touch, eyes flickering and he cupped her head in his hands, feeling for any signs of a gash or blood. Her hair scratched at his hands, the strands almost dread-locked now from old blood and dirt, but there was no sign of blood.

"Amelia," Jack whispered insistently, bending down and pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, the only place that was nearly free from cuts and bruises. She began to twist, whimpering at the touch of his lips but he held her still.

"No no no," she murmured and Jack cupped her chin.

"Amelia, look at me," he whispered and hesitantly, she opened her eyes. She stared at him as if he was a ghost before she reached up and touched the hand that was cupping her chin. Jack smiled down at her when she touched his face, the effect ruined somewhat by his own bruises. Then she was grabbing hold of his collar and pulling herself upright, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She cried, more from relief than anything else, and Jack pressed his face into her shoulder, not caring what she looked like. Only that he had found her.


	41. Hands Open

It was endless, the time that Alice spent trapped; the Crows had long since huddled together near the door trying their best to mask their own fear as they watched the strange girl hanging in the air. She had stopped crying at least; that emotion had struck them as deeply as the death of one of their own and they kept close to the windows, each wishing they could fly out now. Their loyalty to the White Queen was wavering with each passing hour, both with this reappearance of the young Alice and the threat the White Queen had made. She had disciplined them all before, but never so severely as to kill one of the lead Crows in their murder. Loyalty once made out of devotion was fading and they all were confused as to what they should do. The young Alice had realized that they had been trapped by the White Queen and it had brought back fresh memories to them of times when they had just been birds, of the nests they had abandoned, of times when they had flown.

The memory of flight pushed and pulled at them, and they wondered if they would ever get to fly once more.

The Crows watched, trying hard to understand what was going on and having little luck. They weren't meant to understand, they knew, but that did not stop them from trying. Still stuck in her odd mid-air pose, the Oyster had twisted about dangerously, tearing the heavy coat she wore from her body as if it burned her before she had begun to cry out at odd intervals. She was clearly in pain, hands going to her head and to her throat now and again, her face almost frozen into a grimace as she faded in colour. This girl had defied the White Queen, the one person in Wonderland they truly feared; she had survived the power of the Taiga, of all things, at times when she should have broken. Much more importantly, she had said she would try to release them from their long years of servitude, that she understood what the White Queen had done. The Crows shared a collective conscience, knowing the thoughts of one another when it came to opinions and vows, and accepting those thoughts as their own. It made them all aware of what the girl had offered for escape from the White Manor. They had never received such a strange vow before because never before had someone thought to sympathize with their servitude, with the betrayal they had suffered.

 _So what to do?_ Huddled in the corner, they did what birds did best and chattered nervously as they stared up at the girl almost frozen in the air. Their thoughts went from one to another furiously. In that short span of time, there were debates on their own loyalties, on their need for freedom and on oaths they had taken. None of them could come up with a collective answer until the young Alice suddenly jerked stiff as a board and screamed again. Staring up at her with wide eyes, the Crows forgot their own size and abilities as they felt a sudden terror that ran instinctively into them. When she began to laugh, their courage and loyalty broke, that almost unbelievable fear making them scatter like the birds they had once been so long ago. Their loyalty shattered, broken by the sound of such agonized laughter. The Crows fled, unable to stand the sound of her screams and insane laughter.

* * *

It was like flying down a dark hole, passing millions of objects of inconsequential sizes and colours, and then hitting the narrow sides of the hole over and over again. There was no silence, not like she could have expected if the White Queen had tried to isolate her, but instead she heard people talking, shouting, screaming at her. People she didn't know, voices she had never heard before, all screaming for her attention; some warning her, others laughing at her stupidity, others screaming at her. The White Queen had let Alice hear the voices of all the Oysters that had been drained to create the Stone of Wonderland. Voices that she controlled and was using to punish the young woman trying so hard to fight her. The voices went fast and then slow, like some bizarre old movie she had once seen, and Alice moaned in pain. It was deafening inside of her own head, giving her a painfully full feeling as her head throbbed. Her body did a painful twist in the air, arching this way and that, while she began to slowly fade in and out of consciousness.

Then the cold grip of the Queen's power, the words that she had used to strip Alice's confidence from her, began to pound through her ears, echoed by the multitude of voices that demanded her attention. A flash of pain swept over her, choking and burning at her before leaving an overall agonizing ache that kept hold of her. The strange spell of possession had fully grasped her mind and Alice put her hands to her skull, pressing in as she screamed for it to stop. Her head was killing her, the way a splitting migraine would have if it was accompanied by a smack with a club. When she managed to open her eyes now and then, she still had that feeling of falling down through a hole, still saw the strange objects flying by, and no longer knew what was real. She couldn't touch anything to be certain it was real, couldn't feel anything solid beneath her. Whatever had been cast was struggling to take complete hold of her and Alice found herself weakening against the waves of magic that strengthened. Hot tears of pain started to fall from her eyes as she cried out again and her body did another twist in the air as the Queen's spell started to drain her further.

 _"Nothin' but a nobody,"_ a man whispered in her head, the first truly coherent sentence she had heard through the noise in her head. It was no one that she knew, someone with a thick Irish brogue that spoke with more venom than the other voices.

 _"Such a weakling,"_ an old woman's voice agreed. The clamouring in her head began, the sense that she was falling increasing and the voices became more and more clear through the din. Without thinking on it, she focussed on the voices to try to anchor herself but learned quickly that it was a mistake when their voices began to overlap in her hearing. She twisted her head back and forth, still only seeing the dark hole she felt she had fallen down into, and tried to pinpoint each voice until the struggle of it became too much and her neck began to hurt from her twisting. Putting her hands to the sides of her head, Alice heard the voices still ringing in her ears, the stronger of the voices breaking free to whisper as if they were right beside her and leaning close to her ear.

_"Far too ordinary to have challenged the first Alice."_

_"Should we kill her then?"_

_"It would be the most humane thing...'_

_"Drain her first for the White Queen, see how long she suffers for."_

A singsong chorus began in her head, the lack of harmony and off-key notes as grating as nails on chalkboard. _"The time has home, to talk of many things; of shoes - and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages- and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot - and whether pigs have wings!"_

The voices shrieked in laughter and Alice whimpered at the pressure it caused in her ears. _Oh God,_ she thought as she started to cry again, _please stop. Please, please please!_

The first male voice laughed in her ear, a throaty and nasty laugh. _"Consider what a great girl you are. Consider what a long way you've come to-day. Consider what o'clock it is! Consider anything! Only don't cry!"_

The words didn't stop her from crying but this time her eyes went wide. She almost absorbed herself in the voices, in the feeling of falling and the madness that was plaguing her. It was so easy that way, so easy to just give in. The Queen's power sensed her growing surrender and tightened its hold on her, increasing the pain and the pressure so that she had no choice but to stop fighting. Alice's mind whirled back over the story she had read, the faint memories she had absorbed from the White Queen playing in her own mind.

"Oh stop," Alice whimpered.

" _Speak when you're spoken to!_ " the voices cried out in her head and Alice laughed for lack of anything else she could do.

"But if everybody obeyed that rule, and if you only spoke when you were spoken to, and the other person always waited for you to begin, you see nobody would ever say anything, so that it makes no sense to ever obey it!" she said to the voices in her head, her voice loud even to her own ears and she moaned again.

Again, the voices joined in a chorus, _"Mix sand with the cider and wool with the win and welcome Queen Alice with ninety times nine!"_

When the voices broke off to shriek in laughter, Alice joined them while she fisted her hands in her hair and yanked hard. Her voice was just as high as theirs, strikingly loud in the library room. Her laughter broke off quickly and she pulled on her hair with furious fingers. Fighting a losing battle with something she didn't understand, she started to lose herself and felt the strange possession starting to move closer to the surface of her mind. Her body twisted harder, the same way someone would try to wring a dishcloth dry of every last drop of water, and the agony of it. When she screamed, the laughter in her head continued, clashing like terrible cymbals in her ears and she pulled harder at her long hair.

 **"Stop it!"** she screamed out, the word sounding hoarse from her throat. The voices kept shouting in her ears, spouting out children's rhymes and reasonings from books she had read and poems she had recited, and she still struggled to hear them all. Unable to help herself, she still tried to pinpoint which voice was saying what, and slowly she became aware that there was one voice more dominant than the others now. Still with her hands in her hair, she strained to hear it as the voice became more and more clear in her head.

 _"Alice..."_ the voice was soft but demanding

"Stop!" she tried again, voice cracking as the magic twisted her in the air again. "Leave me alone!"

"Alice." The raspy, accented voice sunk through the other voices to her ears like a heavy weight, penetrating the fog and madness in her head. The familiarity of it tugged her, pulling her to the surface again and she strained to keep hold of it the way a drowning person would clutch a rescuing hand. "Alice, look at me."

Still whimpering, Alice opened her eyes slowly, no longer seeing just darkness but lit lamps that made her eyes ache. Clutching hold of the stability the voice had given her, Alice felt the spell still sinking beneath the surface of her mind, still working inside of her and she knew she was going to lose herself no matter who pulled her free. Her body still dangled, suspended in the air, and when she looked down it was to see that in the middle of the library, staring up at her from several meters below, was Hatter. Bruised, cut, bloodied...but still Hatter, his hat pushed back from his eyes he looked up at her with inscrutable eyes. He stared for another moment before he reached up and removed his hat, flicking it onto one of the old tables with careful aim. He stepped toward her slowly before holding out his right hand to her with a soft smile. _Another hallucination?_ Alice thought. _It must be... I know better than to trust anything in this room..._

"Hatter," she breathed out, barely managing to speak with her strained voice. The voices ordered her to stop it, to not believe that it was him, and she felt the confusion inside her swell. It would be like the White Queen to offer her something so tempting and then to take it away from her; she couldn't trust this.

"Alice," Hatter answered, stepping forward several paces. She could see even through the distance that he was moving with some pain. "Come on. Take my hand."

"I can't," Alice whispered and her voice broke again, hot tears clouding her vision and making him resemble a watery mirage until she blinked them away. "I'm so tired, Hatter. Living in fear, hearing this insanity, feeling this cold...I'm so tired."

Her voice sounded like a frightened child who had woken from a nightmare and Hatter swallowed past the lump in his throat, understanding her all to well in that moment. Unlike any other moment, this was not something he had ever wanted Alice to have experienced, to know such a thing that he himself had suffered. He should have run faster, come to this place faster before the White Queen's magic could do so harm. He had staggered up staircase after staircase, finding only collapsed Knights in the hallways and not once seeing Jack or Charlie. It had been frustrated until he had found a Crow by itself and using his right hand he had 'coerced' it into telling him what floor the White Queen was on, knowing that the White Queen would have taken Alice. It had been simple then to track the White Queen by the sound of the Crows chattering, and even though he had barely managed to stop some of his own blood flow, he had been determined to find Alice. He just hadn't been prepared to see her like this, floating in the air as if she were treading water, and screaming or laughing maniacally. It was a far too familiar sight - he could almost see himself or his family in her place - and he had just stared at her for a while, unable to believe what he was seeing.

But when she spoke like that, like a lost little girl, Hatter lost his disbelief and strengthened his resolve. He was not about to see her taken over by some insane Queen's magic. He was not about to see her lose this fight and fully experience the agony he and his family had suffered. Clearing his throat, he tipped his head back to look at her.

"Alice, I'm here. Come on, luv. Just take my hand and come down. You can do this," Hatter said, waggling the fingers of his right hand. The hands fisted in her hair pulled hard but then she suddenly went slack, as if the air had been sucked completely out of her. Her head rolled back on her shoulders and Hatter saw her eyes close. Her lips moved as if she were arguing in her own mind and that sight made Hatter's alarm grow. He couldn't be too late. Not now. " **Alice**!"

Her body stiffened when he yelled her name furiously and her chin lowered inch by slow inch. She stared down at him, the lost girl gone, the lover he knew gone, replaced by an imperious young woman with a face twisted by an ugly smile. Hatter stared back, swallowing again as his mouth went dry at the sight of her. This was nothing like the Alice he knew; even when she had been angry and throwing a cold shoulder at him, Alice had never looked like this. Alice tilted her head on the side, her eyes narrowed at him as her hands flexed at her sides. The change in those precious seconds was instant and Hatter dropped his hand back to his side. The longer she was in the Queen's hold, the more life and colour drained from her, her face grey and her eyes now pale weak blue. Even her hair seemed to be growing dull and there was no real glow to her.

 _It was going too fast_ , Hatter thought.

Hatter knew that if she didn't die, then she'd just become another puppet for the Queen, trapped in her own mind by whatever creation the Queen had thought up to contain her. The Queen likely was going to try to kill her but barring that, she would use Alice in any way she could. Either way, she was not going to let Alice go free. As he stared into her flat gaze, Hatter didn't see anything that resembled his Alice. Her looks perhaps but there was no resemblance in what really mattered to him. Something else was in there and he felt a cold chill go up his spine at her look.

"Why would I give this up...let this go?" Alice demanded, the words a harsh monotone and her voice no longer her own. "For nothing but a paltry nobody...some con artist that should have been drowned at birth to end his family's madness for good?"

Hatter didn't flinch, ignoring the cruelty of the words spoken so viciously. He knew that that was not his Alice speaking. Whatever madness the Queen had tried to push into Alice was like the one that had affected him and he would be damned if he was going to let it hurt Alice the way it had hurt him. The way it had destroyed his family.

"You're still in there," Hatter answered lowly, extending his right hand again. "And I'm not leaving, Alice, until you take my hand."

Snarling like an animal, Alice twisted in the air and Hatter saw the pulsing glow of Alice's second mark. It was shining white against her greying skin and he flicked his eyes from it to Alice's face. She whipped around, coming closer to him so that Hatter almost thought she was going to take his hand. But her own lifted, outspread like a claw, and a brilliant grey light flashed out, racing toward him. Hatter raised his hand to his face instinctively to block the blow, bracing himself for the impact and the pain sure to come.

His right hand caught the blow, the impact sudden and quick. But the light didn't go past his hand. Instead, his hand glowed a dull red and Hatter felt the similar sensation to when Haigha had forced him to eat the magical biscuits of the Red Queen. His hand grew hot, his right side just as warm but it wasn't painful. Hatter lowered his hand, still seeing the light coming from Alice's hand anchoring itself into his right hand. The colourful light coming from his clenched fist went to a serene blue and then reflected the light that Alice had been trying to use on him back at her. She hissed like an animal and pushed her power out at him. Recovering from his shock, Hatter pushed back at the pressure being caused from the strange light and watched as the flow of light went from grey to blue.

"Old magics! Wasted on some petty crook!" Alice snarled in that strange voice as she came a bit closer. Hatter, staring back at her, still blocked the flow of magic she was trying to overwhelm him with. As he stared into her colourless eyes, he thought he could see other people there as well. Not understanding why his right hand was blocking the light still, Hatter took a step closer and pushed hard against the magical flow. "She's the White Queen's!"

Hatter gave Alice a smirk and a small tilt of his head. "I paid for her first. And I ain't sellin' her."

The odd turn of phrase startled whatever was possessing Alice into giving him an odd look, faint confusion in her eyes, and backing off a small distance, as if the words had struck something inside of her. Hatter leapt forward, taking advantage of her shock so that he could grab at her. The light overwhelmed him again, this time more painful than before so that it made him stumble and he missed her hand. Gritting his teeth, he caught her by her shoulder instead and then grasped the back of her head, fisting his hand in her hair. He dragged her down, acting like an anchor to pull her out of the air, yanking her free of the mid-air stasis she had been stuck in. Narrowly ducking a sudden blow to his head, Hatter forced her head to tilt toward him and felt the madness inside her switching tactics when she went almost limp again.

"I don't need you," the voice hissed at him, playing on what Alice had known was one of his fears. "I don't need you or your protection. Go limp away like some mangy dog!"

Hatter pulled her close, ignoring the pain racing through his body as the light she used scalded him where it could. He tried to grasp at her hand with his right but she squirmed, unable to do much damage with him pressing so close to her. Hatter tugged on her hair, trapping her right hand between them using his own body. Her teeth bared like an animal and he tilted her head back.

"I love you, Alice. Nothing will change that and you know that," he whispered softly and her eyes slid to his as he let her hair go. "Come back to me."

He saw the faint sign of her in her eyes then, saw the familiar light he knew, and before she could move he grasped her hand with his left, wincing at the icy cold of it before his fingers tightened on hers. The warmth of his hand seemed to warm her skin, and she rocked unsteadily as he dropped his right hand and slid it beneath the folds of her shirt. He gently caressed the green wing mark he knew was on her hip and he felt the area warm to his touch. His right hand started to ache again and he chanced a look to see that his hand and Alice's mark were almost glowing again. She cried out at it, trying to break his grip and Hatter tugged her closer, trapping his hand between them.

"Look at me," he ordered and when she obeyed him, he saw her close to the surface. He could see that she was almost breaking free of whatever had hold of her and his hand splayed flat against her skin. He gave her the cocky grin that he knew drove her crazy. "My Alice."

The endearment made her go unresisting in his arms and she gave him a weak smile just before she screamed as if the words had ripped into her head. Her head fell back weakly and Hatter drew her close, feeling her body shaking and he kept his eyes half-shut, trying to block the sound of her screams as they tore through the air. Hatter held onto her as she convulsed in his arms and he stared into her eyes as they went from the strange colourless look to a clear blue. The blue was overwhelmed for a moment a dark grey and Hatter could have sworn he heard voices in his own head. His right hand, still touching her bare hip, traced over her skin still out of reflex and Hatter watched as an almost white shadow fell from Alice's skin. It hung in the air for a moment before completely dissipating, leaving a faint burning smell in the air and a sudden raging wind that pushed their clothing tight around them.

Alice sagged forward into his arms and Hatter found his own body suddenly weaken, forcing him to fall to his knees with her. He grabbed her closer, lifting his hands and wrapping them tightly around her waist . It was not out of fear that she would be taken from his arms by the wind but by the fear that if he let her go she might simply vanish. At first she simply leaned into him like a boneless heap but then, slowly, he felt her hands grasp the sides of his ruined jacket. She was shivering in his arms, her forehead leaning against his shoulder for a moment before he felt her head lift slightly. Her eyes met his finally and he smiled.

"Hello, Alice," Hatter whispered and her eyes went wide, staring at him as if she had just seen him for the first time. Her eyes fell to the cuts on his body, the ones that showed through his clothing.

"You're hurt," she whispered, those first coherent words so absurd that Hatter nearly laughed in relief. He leaned back to stare at her, saw that lost expression still there but he could see Alice now and he had the almost Oyster-like urge to cry in relief. He suppressed it, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"Well, I..." he started and suddenly she was pulling him in close, arms wrapping around his shoulders tightly and he ignored the pain in his shoulder that flared at her tight hold. He had felt this hug before, when she had thought him dead in the Casino, and the emotion he felt vibrating from her was just overwhelming now as it had been then.

"I thought you were dead," Alice whispered and Hatter's feeling of deja vu made him smile as he stroked the back of her head. Not daring to say that he had thought she might be dead or lost to him as well, Hatter took a deep breath in and then out. Alice's voice, still soft, echoed in his ear. "You came for me."

"Of course I did, luv. If the Taiga didn't stop me, why would some old Queen?" Hatter answered and she pulled back slightly. He saw the words on her lips, saw the dawning realization on her face that she might have died, and he cupped her face in his. "Don't. Don't get lost in what happened. It won't help you, and believe me, I know that from experience."

She opened her mouth to argue and he leaned forward, pressing his mouth to hers. The kiss was quick but it stilled her, forcing her to relax again in his arms. He felt her hands going over him, as if she were trying to convince herself that he was real. When Hatter broke away, he stared her in the eyes and Alice stared back, smiling at him finally as if she were fully convinced. Unable to help it, he sighed in relief before he stood and pulled her to her feet.

"What did I..." she began and he gave her a scolding look without any real heat, as if he were telling her that she was worrying over something that couldn't be worried over right now. "What happened to the others?"

Hatter's jaw clenched and he looked away from her. "The Knave is dead."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What? How?"

"Chesh." The one word answer held so much fury that Alice knew better than to press the question. It didn't ease the shock though and she felt a sudden grief she hadn't expected. She hadn't known the Knave well but she had learned to like and respect him for his clear loyalty to Jack and the way he had tried to protect them all. Hatter continued on, clearly not wanting to discuss it, "Charlie got knocked down onto one of the lifts but if I know him, he's safe. Where's Jack?"

"The Red King...they separated us. The White Queen stole the Red King's power from him but gave him Jack. He was going to kill him in the Ballroom," Alice said, her eyes going to Hatter's. "Hatter, what if..."

Hatter thought it over, remembering his mad dash to this library.

"Alice, I passed the Ballroom. Didn't go through it but I didn't hear anythin' in there," he answered.

"He might be..." she started but Hatter shook his head.

"Kills me to say this, but I think Jackie-boy can take care of himself. 'Cor...he's probably got a world of angry he needs to vent and if the Red King doesn't have that magic he had, I'd say that old Archibades is in for a fight he wasn't ready for," Hatter said lightly but then his face dropped to a serious expression. "We need to get out of here, come on."

He tugged on her hand, pulling her after him but Alice dug her heels into the ground. Even as weak as she was, Alice could still put up a decent struggle. "Where are we going?"

"We'll find Charlie and Jack, get out of here and get back to the Underground. We can regroup there," Hatter answered, turning slightly. He saw the look in her eyes, recognized the defiance. "Alice, I won't risk somethin' happenin' to you."

 _Anything more than what has happened_ , he thought to himself.

"We can't, Hatter. I...she's going to destroy Wonderland," Alice answered, trying to piece together her vague memories of what the Queen had told her.

"What?" He turned back to her. "How?"

"I...I don't know!" Alice's eyes darted left to right as she thought it over. "But I saw what she could do with the Sceptre...I don't think it would take much."

"All the more reason to get back to the..."

"Even if we do, I don't think we'll survive," Alice stated and Hatter blinked, staring at her.

"You really think that?" he asked.

"I do," Alice answered with a nod. "I don't know why but I know that whatever it was she left to do is not some simple experiment. She's been waiting for this for years...do you really think she's at all like us? This has all been one long game to her; she knew what she wanted to do from the moment she thought this up," Alice answered.

Hatter just stared at her, taking in her pale grey complexion and her dull hair, and wondered. But there was that fiery light in her eyes that let him know that she wasn't as weak as she was looking and he finally nodded.

"All right. Where did she go?"

That made her confidence stall and Alice bit into her lower lip. "I don't know."

"Well that's not good," Hatter admitted. He moved over to the table and retrieved his hat, twirling it on his hand. Alice stared at him, seeing the way he was trying to hide how much pain he was in. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it when he turned around and looked at her.

"Where would you go?" Alice asked instead and he gave her a confused look. "If you wanted to see all of Wonderland?"

He chewed the question over slowly and then gave a shrug. "I'd go to a roof."

"The Heart Palace," Alice started and she saw the light go on in his head.

"Is one of the highest in the city," he finished for her. Alice reached up and tried to brush her hair out of her eyes. Hatter came close to her and moved his hand down her arm, trailing down until his fingers intertwined with hers. "There's a lot of ways up, Alice. If she needs to be stopped, we're going to have to go fast."

He looked her over with obvious concern and she read his mind. Alice clenched her jaw and squeezed his fingers with her own. "I'm with you."


	42. Gambits & Checkmates

Climbing the numerous stairs and traipsing across the vast lower levels was something far more difficult now than it had been earlier for Hatter and Alice. It was easy to lose track of how many levels they had to climb when they were finding the wear of it burning in their legs and lungs. The elevators were only so helpful, some still blocked by the strange red and white mists so that it took some time to find the ones they needed that were still operating. Even when they had an elevator to bring them to another floor, it would only take them so far and then they had to continue to climb the stairs. It was simply safer and with the incredible height of the Heart Palace, it was a better move than to plummet stories down if an elevator broke down.

Though, in Hatter's opinion, it would certainly suit for it to happen considering how rotten their luck had been lately.

Despite Hatter pulling her free of the White Queen's grip, Alice was still weakening and her face was still grey with exhaustion. She stumbled more, her normally graceful stride short and jerky, and even with all of her insistence that she was fine, there was no convincing the man at her side that she was. The lack of colour in her made Hatter's anxiety build even further and he had a strong hold around her waist, supporting her weight even when she tried to protest his help. But instead of continuing to argue with him, she leaned into him and struggled to keep her own eyes open. It was growing harder and harder the further they went. Gradually, Hatter found himself having to hold her tighter against him, her arm slung over his shoulders to steady herself.

Used to Alice being naturally independent and strong, the way she had given up on arguing with him made Hatter hold her close and pray in his head that they were doing the right thing in going to confront the White Queen. He didn't know if they had many other options though and Alice had been right. This had to be finished somehow and if she was going to destroy Wonderland then it would have to be now. Now or never and all Wonderland would suffer if they never confronted her.

They were going on just instinct now, Alice directing him this way and that with an absentminded assurance. It was so easy to lose track of how far they had come when it seemed like they constantly had to keep moving. Hatter didn't question her confidence that they were going the right way, just helped her move as quickly as she could down the halls and up the stairs. Between them though, Alice could feel the blood still seeping from cuts on his body and she had seen the sizeable knife wound that penetrated his shoulder. The moment she had tried to force him to stop, Hatter had just kept going and ignored her, doing it easily considering how weak she was right now.

Like a rag doll, he propped her up beside one of the elevator doors and began to push the button rapidly. Alice leaned her head against the wall and sighed, wincing at the pain in her instep from running so hard in these boots. Hatter grumbled to himself as he slapped the heart shaped button hard several times. It dinged constantly but he couldn't hear the whir of the elevator. It was wearing on his temper again and he grit his teeth in irritation.

"Palace of modern society, all rip-roarin' full of old money and all that old political crap," Hatter said, his accent thickening with his annoyance. "You would think, just think, that Jackie-boy would at least get better workin' elevators."

"It might be easier to just take the stairs," Alice whispered, her throat still aching from the screams she had given earlier. Her voice was hoarse even to her own ears and she licked her lips to ease their dryness, the split in her lower lip stinging when her tongue went across it.

"Just might, but I'm out of any sort of energy to go up another ten flights," Hatter muttered just as there was a whirring sound and the clank of an elevator coming down.

"We should take this one," Alice whispered.

He grinned in delight and looked her over quickly. "You sure this is the right one?"

"I'm sure," Alice answered and he didn't question why she was so certain. He trusted Alice in this and he really had no better plan than to simply follow her around and support her as best as he could. Hatter turned on his side away from her and gingerly reached beneath his ruined shirt. He could feel the temporary bandage he had stuffed in there wet and sticky with blood and with a grimace he adjusted it painfully against the shoulder wound. Behind him, Alice took in a shallow breath and let it out slowly. She was breathing easier than he was but he could see that her pain was more internal than from any wound she had suffered. The purple circles of exhaustion that ringed her eyes and the sign of a bruise were the only colours on her face. Even her eyes were still close to colourless, watery blue and tired, but as Hatter looked back at her, he saw that she was still keeping as strong as she could, her eyes shut as she tried to relax.

"I'm fine, Hatter," Alice said without turning her head toward him. He looked away from her. "Stop worrying about me like that."

He smiled grimly as he heard the elevator finally reach their level. "Can't help it, luv. When it comes to you, I can't think straight half the time. Certainly can't just forget it either."

"That tops one of the more romantic things ever said to me," Alice said with a smirk, opening her eyes to meet his. Hatter caught his breath at the utter love in her eyes, the emotion almost shining from her in that moment. Then she was turning away from him, disappearing into the elevator before he could reach for her. Grumbling to himself again, Hatter quickly followed her into the tiny elevator and pressed the highest button there was. He leaned back into the wall opposite Alice, seeing the way her skin sharply contrasted the rich red wallpaper and unable to help but worry about it.

"Any idea what we're going to do when we reach her? 'Cause I've got no weapons, " Hatter asked to keep his own thoughts from the dangerous condition Alice was in. She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms rapidly, trying to keep the chill from herself. Hatter was in no better shape, fidgeting and shivering now and then to keep warm.

"Not a clue," Alice answered with mock cheerfulness.

Hatter made a face and nodded his head. "Eh...well, that does sort of stoop us to Jack's level of planning now, doesn't it?"

That made her laugh finally and he smiled at her, ignoring the way his ears were starting to pop as they went higher and higher. Alice cleared her throat and her face suddenly went tight, as if she had remembered something that had made her furious. "I do know two things, Hatter. We have to get that Sceptre away from her...and I need to get my mark back from her."

He tipped his head on the side. "But your other mark..."

"Hatter, what she told me...I need that other mark back. She's using it to drain me and without it..." She broke off, clearly thinking the worst and Hatter grunted.

"You're not going to die, Alice," he declared and she shot him a look.

"How do you know?" she demanded and he gave her his cocky smile.

"Because I won't let you."

He said it with such conviction that Alice found herself believing him with all her heart. She was kept from answering his declaration by the elevator dinging and opening to yet another floor. Hatter groaned as he followed her out, exasperated by the sight of yet another hallway. Alice felt her own frustration threaten to exhaust her but she suddenly felt a fierce chill that crept up her spine and then plummeted to somewhere around her knees. Squeezing her eyes shut, she steadied herself against the nausea and looked left and right. Staring at the right to the next set of doors at the end of the hall, she felt that tug again and started off without Hatter.

"This way."

He trotted to keep up with her and grumbled, "You sure?" Alice glared at him and he sighed, shrugging his shoulders. " 'Course you're sure."

The door was locked from the outside but beneath the small crack at the bottom they could feel a cold draft and there was a line of snow wetting the carpet at the bottom of the door. Alice looked down and then up at the door. "She's out there," she whispered and tried the handle. It refused to give under her strength and she gave Hatter a look. Pushing her gently to the side, he flexed his fingers of his right hand and then slammed it into the door. The lock popped with a groan under the impact and the door slowly swung open.

Hatter gestured gallantly. "Ladies first."

She gave him a look and he rolled his eyes.

"All right, all right," he muttered and had to push on the door when it stuck on a snowdrift just outside. Alice helped him, leaning as much of her weight into the door as she could. They almost fell through the door when it suddenly gave under their joined weight, making a clattering noise as it hit the wall to the side of it. Alice and Hatter went to their knees into the snow, Hatter sucking in a hurt breath as his body protested the movement. Alice felt the wind against her skin but felt none of the cold ice in it, her eyes on the edge of the rooftop and she stepped further out away from the door.

The Heart Palace was tall as Jack and Hatter had told her, overseeing the entirety of Wonderland City and showing the large forests and mountains that surrounded it easily. Standing near the railing that lined the edge of the roof, watching the sun begin to set in the distance, was the White Queen. Still dressed formally but now with her silvery blonde hair blowing back and forth like a banner, she seemed more like a statue than a real person. The dying sunlight gave her entire body an odd orange tint, the Sceptre still held firmly in one hand as she turned her head this way and that. As if deciding something, she suddenly lifted the Sceptre and pointed it at a nearby rooftop some ways down from her.

Alice couldn't help but gasp as a stream of grey light flooded from the sapphire tip of the Sceptre and surrounded the smaller building. The building shimmered, rippling like a broken mirage for a moment before the White Queen gave another hard swing with the Sceptre. The building exploded into black ash, a cloud of it rising and transforming into tiny black birds that flew out from the ash with ear splitting screeches. Tipping her head back, the White Queen chuckled at the sight and then froze, as if suddenly sensing Alice behind her. She whirled in a blur of blue and silver silk, her hair whipping before her eyes as she stared at Alice.

Even from the distance between them, Alice could see that the older woman was shocked to see her, her eyes wide and her mouth half-open. Alice thought that the White Queen actually looked younger, closer to her mid-thirties now, and the knowledge of it made Alice's anger grow. She remembered how the Queen tried to steal her life and the thought made her teeth grind. The White Queen's eyes drifted over Alice with equal scrutiny, seeing the colourless skin and the watery blue eyes, the sight making a vicious smile spread slowly over her face.

"How you do persevere, Alice," she commented dryly, taking a step away from the railing and cradling the Sceptre into the crook of her arm. "Though I must say that you look positively ghastly. How did you even..."

She broke off mid-sentence when Hatter followed Alice further onto the roof, coming into her line of sight finally. He had witnessed her destruction of the small building with a sense of dawning horror, unable to help but feel his feet grow heavy when confronted with the knowledge of what she was capable of. The White Queen stared at him, one hand going to her throat and rubbing the skin there. Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"You," she whispered, and for a moment Alice thought that she saw a dreamy look pass over the White Queen's face. It softened her for a moment and a haze went over her grey eyes. Clearly lost in memory, she stared at Hatter. "Grey."

Beside Alice, Hatter flinched and stared back at her. He felt a strange revulsion twist at his insides at the mere sight of her, not wanting to look at her but unable to help it. She had changed only slightly from the last time he had seen her. She had used her magic to look younger, but that cold noble was there, staring at him as if he were something straight from her memory. The memory of the last time they had spoken, when she had threatened him with torture, when she had gleefully executed his father while in a rage, made his mind harden further against her. Needing something to anchor himself, Hatter reached out and grasped Alice's hand. She chanced a look at him and then clasped her fingers tight around his.

The dreamy look left the White Queen's face, replaced by an icy look that drew her skin into tight lines as she stared at them both.

"Alice...and your loyal Hatter. Who does appear to be very much alive." She arched a brow at Hatter and stepped toward them several more paces. Hatter stared back at her as she let her eyes roam freely over him. "You look like your father."

"That's funny," Hatter answered glibly, tipping his hat back from his forehead a bit. "I always I figured I favoured my Ma in looks."

The White Queen stared at him. "Indeed."

"We're not going to let you do this," Alice said, trying to draw the White Queen's attention from Hatter. She remembered too well the woman's venom for him and did not want to chance that the White Queen may remember as well.

"Oh, really? How interesting," the White Queen said. She lifted the Sceptre toward them and tipped her head on the side. "I really didn't think you were in the position to threaten me."

Alice took a step toward her. "You don't have to do this. You can stop."

 _Please,_ she thought, _please show me that it is possible for someone to recover from such terrible power._

The White Queen chuckled. "Oh child, you do read too many novels. This is not one. You are not the plucky heroine set to destroy evil. He is," her eyes went to Hatter, "most certainly not the noble prince. And I cannot have my mind changed by some girl who came back to Wonderland on a whim. A girl who has shown her own weakness in emotions."

"You can't do this," Hatter said, eyes narrowing as he stared at her. It was hard enough for him to believe that his father had once loved this cold creature, harder still to believe that she had survived so long.

"I believe I can," she answered, looking him over.

"You believe what? That you can destroy Wonderland because your ego ain't bein' stroked?" Hatter snapped the question at her, catching on with less difficulty than Alice to the White Queen's reasoning. Her eyes glinted dangerously at him.

"It is the right of humans, when they come to Wonderland, to change its history, to change its very landscape. An Oyster's right, you could say," she declared and Hatter stared at her. Their eyes locked and Alice looked between the pair of them, transfixed by the battle of wits going on.

"You lost the right to be an Oyster when you chose to stay here permanently, when you chose to take that dead Queen's place and marry her pompous prick of a son," Hatter answered and Alice thought that the White Queen flinched this time. "You didn't do it out of a love for Wonderland. You did it because you wanted to be a Queen. You aren't an Oyster. You're a Wonderlander to your core now, and you've got no right to destroy anythin'."

The White Queen tried to laugh but it came out weak compared to her previous viciousness. Her eyes darted between Alice and Hatter for a moment, and then her eyes locked with Hatter's again. "You are like your father. Twisting logic to suit yourself," she snarled and he gave her a grin that made even Alice shiver.

"And you're still the heartless bitch you always were," he said coldly and she hissed in a breath. "Add this new insanity onto it and you're a winner."

"Such words from a con-artist bred from madness," the White Queen stated, struggling to gain the upper hand in their verbal sparring.

"Sticks and stones, bread and butter. But granted, it's that madness that terrified the hell out of your cat. He ain't coming to kill for you," Hatter said. Alice looked at him and then at the White Queen.

"You're alone here," Alice said. "If this was a real chess game, you'd be gone."

The off-hand comment made Hatter glance at her and the White Queen recovered enough to give her a cool smile. She was not about to allow Alice to fill her with doubts. Not now, when she was so close to her goal.

"I still have allies, child. One that is executing your Heart King as we speak," she said. Her fingers were tightening around the Sceptre and Hatter watched the movement warily.

"I believe in Jack. I think you'll have to wait and see on that one," Alice answered.

"Perhaps," the White Queen allowed. "But there is one thing you really should learn, Alice. Is that in the Taiga's Chess Game, it is not judged on the number of pieces left but in the moves they make. I am two pieces in one: the King and the Queen. It does give me such brilliant moves."

Alice had been so intent on trying to hold that cold grey gaze that she hadn't been watching the change in the other woman's body language. The White Queen moved fast, shockingly so, and Alice could only brace herself for impact when the woman raised the Royal Sceptre high to strike her. The sapphires at its tip glowed bright, blinding Alice and she cried out. The grey light was a mere breath away from striking her when Hatter pulled her out of the way and into his arms, whirling with her as the light struck the ground with a boom similar to a bomb going off.

The White Queen muttered a curse under her breath and followed them, raising the Sceptre again. Hatter shoved Alice behind himself, knowing they had nowhere to run but still determined to protect her. The beam of light careened out of control, rocketing around the roof top and slamming into the surface with small explosions as it followed Hatter and Alice. With his injuries and her weakness, Hatter knew that they were in trouble and frustration almost blinded him completely.

He turned suddenly as the Queen followed them and was met with the sight of the explosive light coming closer and closer, the Queen just behind it. Hatter threw up his hand, hoping that before had not just been a fluke. The light bounced off his right hand like it had before, his hand giving a strange red glow once more. This time there was far more pain, the feeling that he had stuck his hand into a vat of dry ice that burned at his skin. He managed not to cry out at the pain, pushing back at the light. Alice went flying away from him when he shoved her with his left hand, getting her out of the way as he went to one knee.

"Of course your father would have had someone give you old magic, something an old Red Queen would have had. Just to make me angry," the White Queen said dryly as she let the beam of light fade. "He did so like to make me angry. You are doing a fine job of it yourself."

Hatter lowered his hand away from his eyes, flexing the fingers of it before he struck out at her. Astonishingly, she caught the blow easily and twisted, throwing him to the side. He landed hard on his back, groaning in pain as his battered body protested yet more pain. He was in no condition of hand to hand combat and he tightened his fingers into a fist again.

Alice gasped for breath, the impact of Hatter throwing her to the side having winded her. Getting to her hands and knees, she pushed her hair out of her eyes to see the White Queen reaching down and grabbing at Hatter with her hand. Her long fingers curled around his throat and pressed. It made an odd sight, seeing such a willowy woman dressed in a noblewoman's finery holding Hatter in the air as if he were a kitten she was shaking. Alice stared, still trying to find the strength to move. Her eyes followed Hatter's hat as it flew through the air, carried by the increasing wind until it disappeared over the edge of the rooftop.

"What is it with you Hatters?" the Queen asked Hatter lowly. He met her eyes bravely even when her fingers tightened around his throat, choking him. "Lost causes and mad escapades. Can you never do anything sensible?"

Hatter made as dismissive a face as he could. "Nope."

"Then it can and will get you killed." Her eyes narrowed again. "The way you should have been when you destroyed my daughter's precious life."

"Your daughter was psychotic...and I can tell where she gets it from," Hatter answered and she lifted him higher. She threw him into the air, sending him flying into the door to the inner Palace with a loud crunch. She followed him, ignoring where Alice still crouched in favour of remembering her own need for revenge.

Hatter saw stars swimming in his vision, every wound and battered bone in his body starting to throb. He lay on his back, trying to push himself up but unable to find the strength. The fight he had been earlier had zapped what strength he had had and the adrenaline was gone, forcing himself to struggle to find the ability to even move. The White Queen stalked up to him and leaned over slightly, putting the Sceptre just beneath his chin and lifting his head back. The sapphires glowed again, her eyes going silver as she focussed her power on him. A blue glow drifted over Hatter's body before intensifying to a blinding light. There was no way he could hold it in, he screamed, unable to hide the agony this time.

The White Queen stared down, intent on killing him. Her mind blanked out, losing herself in her own bloodlust and frustration when he resisted her pressure. What she had done to Alice failed her; there was no penetrating his mind and no chance to force him to her will. It was as if there was an iron gate there now, closed to her power and pushing back when she tried to shove it open. So she resolved to simply kill him. She had forgotten about Alice though, lost in her intensity and need to kill the young man she believed responsible for destroying her family. The White Queen heard the sound of boots snicking on cement and she stiffened in time to feel Alice suddenly land on her back, wrapping an arm around her throat.

"Don't touch him!" Alice ordered in her ear, her hold weak. The Queen turned away from Hatter and flipped Alice off her, the girl tossed away like a useless ball. Alice cried out as she skidded, her arm scratching on the concrete below the snow.

"Oh, I think you'll find him improved when he can't use that acid tongue of his," the White Queen said, her voice imperious as she arched a brow at Alice.

Alice clutched her arm to her chest, unable to believe the pain it was causing her. Hatter had turned his head, his eyes fluttering as he struggled to find the strength to get up, and Alice locked eyes with him. He shook his head at her, clearly wanting her to run, and she shook her own head, trying to get past the pain racing up and down her arm like red hot flames. Staring down at her scratched hand, she saw that beneath the red blood was a trace of green and she stared at it before looking back up. The Queen was walking back toward Hatter, ready to finish what she had started, but Alice stared at her back. The backless gown was fluttering in the wind but what caught Alice's eye was the gryphon roaming between her shoulder blades.

Looking down at her hand again, Alice rubbed at the green spot and found it warm to her touch. She bit into her lower lip and got to her feet once more.

Overhead, a Jabberwock roared somewhere in the distance and the White Queen paused, listening carefully. A Jabberwock, she realized. She had not seen one of those in years and what in Wonderland was it doing so close to the City? Beneath her, Hatter chuckled weakly to himself at the thought that Suzy was flying through the City and likely causing more harm than good.

Distracted by the sound of the Jabberwock, the Queen jumped when she felt an ice cold palm press between her shoulder blades. There was no shove nor was it made to move her. The hand just pressed there and she whirled to see Alice just behind her again. The girl lifted her chin bravely, her hand still outstretched and the White Queen gave her a bewildered look before her back began to feel ice cold. The warmth caused by the gryphon mark's constant movement was gone, leaving only an icy chill that rippled up and down her spin. Shocked, she stared at Alice and saw that Alice's outstretched palm was turning green. Alice gave her a smile that was as cold as her hand had been.

"You had something that belonged to me," she whispered and the Queen brought the Sceptre up, striking her hard against the face. Alice staggered back but didn't fall, shaking her head to free it from the pain. She straightened after a moment and the White Queen stared, watching as trails of green tattooing went up Alice's arm, disappearing and reappearing now and again through the torn fabric of her shirt. Then it formed beneath her jaw-line, forming a gryphon that rippled across her throat. The mark still moved constantly but without the agitation it had shown the White Queen. Alice gave a faint moan of pain as the mark stretched and then curled around her throat and collarbone. Then it settled, falling back over her shoulder while shining dark green beneath her skin.

"You think that taking back that mark will make you more powerful than me?" the Queen asked. She felt her own weakness suddenly, her skin aging to the paper thin quality and lines it had had when Alice had first met her. Without Alice's more youthful strength, she was starting to fail. Her body was already aching and the White Queen locked eyes with Alice.

"No, I don't," Alice answered honestly. "I'm just going with the flow."

The casual remark made the White Queen stare at her before she raised the Sceptre again at Alice. She had to struggle to hold it up now, the sapphires flickering weakly. Alice stared back at her, bracing herself for the blow this time. When the White Queen brought it down to her cheek, Alice ducked and grabbed at her arm. The familiar maneuver caused Alice's body to sluggishly respond to what it knew and she pushed back at the older woman. Her fingers wrapped around the base of the Sceptre and she shoved hard, the Sceptre flying out of their grips and skidding along the rooftop. The White Queen lashed out with her inherited power, the light coming from her palm and racing towards Alice's throat. Alice, her eyes going to where Hatter was still trying to get up, found herself furious that the woman had nearly killed them both and she felt her emotions stir close to the surface.

The power lashed out between them, combating colours of grey and blue wrapping in a whirlwind as they struggled. Alice, trying to remember how the glow had worked before, focussed all of her emotions on the other woman while the White Queen used her experience in the Taiga magic. Alice felt the power behind it, still weak from her own injuries and the earlier torture and ground her teeth together. It was not a physical battle, not one she was used to or had trained for, but one that made her use her mind, her emotions and memory, to focus on protecting herself and Hatter. The White Queen's power poured out like oil against her and for a moment Alice found herself buckling beneath it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced herself to remember.

_"This, my Alice, is going to be a wonderful...madcap, brilliant escapade now_

_"Things have been bumpy since you left. Getting an entire population of the city off of Emotions is difficult to say the least."_

_"If the person who tries to touch it is found unworthy the Sceptre will destroy itself and the wielder."_

_"Many of things defy imagination, Alice of Legend. You being here for one."_

_"They will not suspect I would give such a valuable magic to someone else. I can trust no other with it, Alice. I trust you."_

_"Sometimes fantasy is better than reality. And sometimes, the reality is far better than the fantasy."_

_"Come on. Take my hand."_

Taking a deep breath, Alice thought of her friends; the Knave now dead because of a betraying Chesh, Charlie: her loyal Knight, Jack and his gradual realization that love did not mean that you lost your nobility, and Hatter. Hatter...her eyes went for just a moment to where Hatter had managed to get to one knee and their eyes locked through the swirling clouds of magic surrounding them. The gryphon mark, settled just under her jaw, pulsed like a heartbeat, and Alice felt a wave of welcome warmth travel down her body. The warmth flooded her and wrapped around her body like a warm embrace.

Yowling like a cat, the White Queen fell back to her knees as Alice's glow overwhelmed her with a sudden flare of light and pushed her away. It was a shock of sudden pain and desperation that struck her, emotions she had never dared to feel for so very long and she growled in her throat. Flinging her now rumpled hair out of her eyes, she glared up at Alice when the younger woman stared down at her. Alice's eyes were unreadable but she was hesitating to do much else.

"Stop," Alice warned but the White Queen gave her a cold smile. With considerable effort, she sprang to her feet and ran for the Sceptre. Alice didn't go to stop her, her face blank of emotions. They stared at each other and the White Queen held it up.

"Perhaps the complete destruction of Wonderland is necessary, with or without me surviving," the White Queen whispered as she struggled to focus the remainder of what power she had had as a young girl and the Taiga magic she still possessed. Alice's glow had still swarmed her though and it clouded her. The sapphires glowed a dull blue in response and Alice stared at her, not knowing what else she could do. She was still weak enough that she knew if the White Queen managed to find the strength to wield the Sceptre, then she would be unable to stop her.

There was a sudden clatter at the doorway and both Alices turned their heads to see that Jack had stumbled through and almost tripped over Hatter. Jack was heaving for breath, skidding to a stop when he saw Hatter before he looked up. He was alone but wielding a shotgun and clearly ready for a fight again. He raised his head, stunned at the sight of the two glowing women, and met Alice's eyes. She let her graze drift over him for a moment before realization dawned on her as to why he was alive and she looked back at the White Queen.

"Checkmate," she whispered huskily. The White Queen stared at her, the Sceptre still glowing. The checkerboard mark on her hand, the one reminder she had from her time as an Oyster years before, began to fade further.

"No," she said weakly. " **No!** "

"But it is one. The Red King is dead. The Taiga has its rule and you loved to use its magic. Chesh told us the rules, how we could move as chess pieces. You may move as a King and a Queen but..." Alice had to pause to catch her breath. "You're surrounded by a Rook, a King, and a Queen. It's over." Alice took a breath and straightened her shoulders before saying loudly, "Checkmate."

There was a sudden shudder through the air and Alice thought that she saw the buildings around them shiver as well. The White Queen, still struggling to use the Sceptre, stared at Alice in absolute horror and her grey eyes went wide. The Taiga Rules came crushing down then at Alice's declaration, wrapping itself around the White Queen and weighing her down like an anchor. Had she never used its power, she would have never felt the furious grip it took on her mind and body. Felt the eagerness it had to claim another Royal who had abused it so. But she had abandoned her own magic in favour for the seemingly stronger Taiga magic, and she had declared herself a Queen in its Chess Game.

Unlike history books, Wonderland and the Checkerboard Taiga could not be fooled.

As Alice, Jack and Hatter watched, the White Queen seemed to crumple inside of herself. The utter defeat on her expression hung there for a moment, veiling the pain and fury in her eyes. The glow that wrapped around her pulsed again and again and she seemed to further crumple under it. The power ebbed from her and she dropped the Sceptre into the snow as if it weighed hundred of pounds. Staring at Alice still, she gave the girl a weak smile that was full of malice and hatred.

"You think you win but you'll become me eventually," she whispered and Alice shook her head.

"No...no I won't. My friends would never let me," Alice answered honestly. Her eyes roamed over the White Queen. "But as much as I should hate you, I also pity you."

The White Queen locked eyes with her for just a moment longer before she looked at Jack and then at Hatter. He met her eyes, his look unreadable and she stepped back slowly. It was clear that what sympathy she may have once received was not going to be there, that Hatta's son still knew he had every right to hate the old Queen and not offer to help her. Turning on her heel, she walked back to where the sun had almost finished setting and stared out at it. While the others watched, Alice the First, White Queen of the Ivory Woods and one-time victor of the Most Dangerous Chess Game, went as still as a statue in death. Her face aged rapidly, her body shrinking and stooped as it aged as well. Then her skin went ash grey and as the wind blew again, she crumpled to dust, leaving only a pile of blue and grey silk behind that fluttered in the cold breeze.

Alice stared, unable to help but feel tears come to her eyes for a strange reason. Behind her, Jack stooped to where the Sceptre had been dropped and picked it up gingerly, removing his coat and wrapping it around the Sceptre. The blue silk dress was picked up in the wind and it drifted away slowly, Alice tearing her eyes away from the sight and refusing to see the last piece of the White Queen disappear. Ignoring the wave of exhaustion that threatened to consume her, she staggered back to where Hatter had fallen back onto his seat. He stared at his right hand, flexing it over and over again as if it fascinated him.

When she fell to her knees beside him, one hand going to the side of his face, Hatter lifted his hand to her face and stared at Alice, his warm palm cupping her chin and tilting her face to his. Her eyes met his and Hatter saw the fear and anger slowly leaving her, replaced by her exhaustion that matched his own.

"You all right?" he asked, wheezing for breath and she nodded, sniffling back the tears she had been unable to stop. He traced his thumbs over the tear tracks on her cheeks and Alice closed her eyes, pressing her face against his neck as she leaned in close. She needed his strength more than she realized, unable to help but feel weak now with her own exhaustion.

"I think so," she whispered. "You?"

"Well," he began and then began to cough harshly, his ribs aching with each jerk of his chest. Jack came back to them and knelt to the other side of Hatter, checking the wounds in Hatter's side carefully. He saw the sizeable wound in Hatter's shoulder, the blood having soaked through the rag that Hatter had pressed there. Gently, Jack moved the rag to the side and then promptly put it back at the sight of the knife wound.

"What happened to you?" Jack asked, his own face bruised but he looked in better shape than Hatter. Hatter grunted, wanting to shrug his shoulders but knowing better. He still had his hand on Alice's neck, stroking her skin to calm her down but beneath his concern, he knew that it was over.

"Chesh happened. Let it not be said that Cheshires can't pack a decent enough punch." Hatter looked over him. "You?"

"Red King."

Alice lifted her head from Hatter's shoulder, wiping away her tears and sniffing hard. She looked around and noticed how alone they were. Somewhere nearby, a Jabberwock was still calling out and the wind still howled along with it. "Where's Charlie? Amelia?"

"Knights turned back into Suits when the Red King's power collapsed permanently. Charlie freed a bunch of prisoners thankfully, so I managed to get her out to the courtyard. Charlie was going to take them back towards the Tunnels for safety." Jack removed Hatter's coat and stared at several of the near fatal wounds there. His eyes met Hatter's for a moment before he ripped at the sleeves, wadding the fabric up and pressing them hard against the wounds. Hatter turned his head to Alice.

"Alice, I think I've decided how I feel," he said out loud lightly but the pain made his voice raspy. Alice and Jack looked at him expectantly. "I think I'm goin' to faint."

True to his word, Hatter sagged forward into Jack and Alice. Alice felt panic grab hold of her and she shook at his shoulder. Jack put his hand on hers to still her, understanding her panic but determined to keep her from going out of control.

"Alice, let him rest. We'll need to get him down below out of this cold. Hopefully some of the physicians are still around the Palace," he said. He looked over Alice carefully. "You're sure you're fine?"

Alice paused, thinking it over before she shook her head and gave him a weak smile filled with exhaustion. "I am. What do we do now?"

Jack shrugged. "We start to heal Wonderland again."


	43. Spot of Tea

It was a strange sensation now that flooded her, the sensation of being stuck after such days spent on the run. Alice, lying in bed, woke for the fourth time in three days, her throat dry and her lips cracked. She took a moment, her eyes cracking open carefully. It had all seemed like some strange dream and she was half-expecting to wake up in her own bed on a dreary Sunday. But the sheets beneath her were a heavy flannel and when Alice managed to blink away sleep, she saw that the room was furnished with far richer furniture than she had had ever had in her life.

The sight of a medical tray rolled just to one side was a definite sign that she hadn't been dreaming all of this.

Groaning, she sat up and put a hand to her head. She still felt tired but it was no longer the nearly painful exhaustion from before. Alice licked her lips to ease their dryness and rubbed at her eyes, yawning as she did so. She closed her mouth slowly, stretching her arms out before her and cracking her shoulders in with a satisfying crunch. The night gown she wore was scratchy and four sizes too large, making her push up her sleeves several times so that she could rub at her arms.

When she looked to the bed beside her and saw it empty, her memories, foggy till now, flooded back and she stared. Hatter had been brought to one of the Royal apartments, Jack finding a surgeon as fast as he could to patch the wounds that Hatter had suffered. Alice had stayed outside with Charlie, pacing, and Jack had paced himself, for Amelia was under going what he called 'fixing' with a physician. It had felt like hours until the surgeon had reappeared to tell them that Hatter was clear from any fatal injuries. Relieved, Alice had finally let herself fall asleep while leaning against Charlie. The few times she had woken during the past days had been to see Hatter sleeping on the bed beside hers, never waking even when she whispered his name several times before she herself fell back asleep.

Now he was gone and she felt panic swarm her insides instantly.

"Hatter?" Alice repeated lowly, twisting her fingers over and over again in the thin covers. She had to clear her throat over and over again to ease its ache, her head still foggy and aching from too much sleep.

She was ready to call out again when a small woman who looked uncannily like Owl came bustling in through the door, humming to herself. She was thin and small; large round spectacles half-way down her nose and her hair bound up in a tight bun. Dressed like how an early 1900s nurse may have been with a muslin cap and lace frilled apron, she was somehow all the more intimidating with a belt strapped to her waist that was lined with various syringes and medical tools. She smiled at Alice as she came all the way through the door, twisting her own knotty hands around a packet of gauze she carried.

"Oh, don't move like that. You'll likely push yourself to fits," she scolded in a motherly tone. Stopping beside Alice's bed, she set the packet down and then reached for Alice's wrist. Tempting as it was to pull her arm back, Alice found herself still too tired to resist.

"How long have I been asleep?" Alice asked as the nurse took her pulse.

Finishing her count, the nurse shrugged and glanced out the window. "The last bout was...oh, over 12 hours long. We did wake you once or twice to make sure you weren't comatose, but you just fell back asleep."

Alice cleared her throat hard, almost choking, and the nurse moved over to a sideboard to pour her a glass of water. Thanking her, Alice drank it down greedily while the nurse checked her reflexes and eyes. She tsked in her throat once or twice but finally smiled at Alice as if she was satisfactory.

"Just some peripheral weakness and a mild concussion. You should recover fine however," the nurse commented. Flicking her tongue across her lips, Alice set the glass down onto her lap.

"My friends, how are they?"

"Well, his Majesty, of course, is relatively unscathed, as is that Knight that insisted on staying by your bedside until I kicked him out. He insisted that he was doing something with some odd Black Arts but all he was doing was irritating the physicians." The nurse hesitated and Alice felt alarmed for a moment. The nurse seemed to think something over for a moment before shaking her head. She beamed at Alice and adjusted the covers around Alice's legs for her. "Her ladyship, the Duchess...I presume she is a friend of yours?"

"I suppose you could say that..." Alice started, not sure how to answer that particular question.

"Despite some rather terrible bruising and lacerations, she is holding up. Just hasn't been sleeping," the nurse explained. Alice began to fidget again.

"What about," Alice started but the nurse carried on impatiently.

"And that young man who was roomed here with you, the one who talked...and talked...and talked. He spent most of the time arguing with the doctor until we gave up on keeping him in bed," the nurse admitted. "He's up and about. He took quite bit of stitching up though. You would not believe the marks on him. He took a beatin' by the looks of things."

"I want to see him," Alice said, pushing the covers off of her legs and swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. Her head swam the moment she did it and she groaned, putting a hand to her head. The nurse put a restraining hand on her shoulder and sighed as if she was exasperated.

"You are going to sit right there like a good girl and have a shot of Sprigtig Mix. It'll wake you up and get rid of the headache you have from that concussion," she declared, pulling out a syringe from her belt that was filled with a light blue liquid. Alice gulped at the sight of it as the nurse tapped the needle and squirted out the mix. She was ready to pull away but the nurse was quick thanks to years of long practise. The nurse had the needle into her vein before she could blink. Alice yelped at the sting while the nurse pushed the plunger down quickly. It took a few moments as the blue liquid moved sluggishly into her view but the moment Alice felt its warmth she had the feeling of a jolt of energy bursting through her body.

She stared at her arm and the nurse smiled at her. "There," the nurse declared, pulling the needle from Alice's skin and tucking the syringe back into her belt. "That's better, isn't it?"

"Surprisingly," Alice admitted, flexing her arm back and forth. The nurse bustled to and fro, finding Alice a pair of slippers and helping her stand up slowly. Alice had to cling to the bed post to steady herself, shutting her eyes against the nausea. The nurse watched her, ready to try to catch her if she fell. She was under strict orders from the King to not let a thing happen to this girl. In her long years spent as an emergency nurse for the Hospital of Dreams, where the most she saw were cases of Flying Highs and Adrenaline, to be ordered to care for a young woman who was simply tired was rather novel. She had no intention of letting her monarch down and she was ready to insist Alice sit back down when the door pushed open to admit a rather bruised looking Seven of Clubs.

With the usual pompous air that the Clubs had, he stood by the door and cleared his throat noisily. "His Majesty requests your presence, Miss. Alice," the Club announced stiffly. Alice frowned at him and it was on the tip of her tongue to say just what she thought of that request when all she wanted to do was find Charlie and Hatter to be sure that they were indeed fine. But at a look from the nurse, she bit her tongue and nodded. The nurse looked back at the Club and jerked her pointy chin to the door. He bowed and closed the door discreetly behind himself

"Thank you," Alice whispered as she sat back down and watched the nurse find her something to wear.

"Not a problem. Those Clubs tend to be rather...dense." The nurse turned around from one of the dressers and held out a plain green dress to her. "Here you are. It's likely too big but it will do in a pinch. I doubt his Majesty will have you trekking over the wilds, hmm?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Alice answered with a smile before she took the dress and began the rather tiring process of getting dressed once more.

* * *

It was strange to walk through the Heart Palace in daylight when she had the chance to look at things. Without being in any danger, Alice was able to appreciate the subtle decorating and styling that combined reds and whites, with a few hearts carved here and there and making strange backs to furniture. The Seven of Clubs walked sedately ahead of Alice, clearing his throat when she fell too far behind. She ignored him for the most part, covering her mouth here and there when she yawned. The high windows were parted in the one hallway, letting in a fresh breeze. Alice glanced out the window and saw that there was still snow outside but with the sunlight it was quickly turning to slush.

"It's melting," she said, for lack of anything else to say. The Club looked over his shoulder at her frowning.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"The snow," Alice said, pointing out the window.

"Thankfully. Come along," the Club said curtly. He was off again, leaving Alice to jog after him. Alice decided that perhaps the past days of having to been on her toes had made her notice such piddly things like melting snowing and be happy about it. Considering how badly it all could have gone, it wasn't an unhappy realization.

The Club stopped outside a familiar set of doors and Alice nearly bumped into him, distracted by the sight of various Wonderlanders scurrying back and forth with cleaning supplies. He turned on his heel toward her, peering down at her skeptically. Alice stared back, remembering the last time she had seen a Club and he had been just as pompous as this one. The Club broke his gaze first, muttering to himself about Oysters as he turned to the doors and opened one for her, gesturing.

Alice forgot her annoyance with the Club as the door shut behind her and she saw that he had led her to the Heart Library. A flash of memory stung at her, making her remember the madness she had felt in this room and the pain that it had caused. She felt a brief dizziness at the rush of it and had to reach out to steady herself against one of the tables.

"We don't know if execution would serve the right message," Jack said from somewhere close by, his voice low. Alice opened her eyes and saw him standing close to one of the windows. He hadn't noticed her yet, instead talking to others who were blocked by the moved bookcases and tables. But he seemed remarkably healthy, only a few bruises and a bandage around his hand showing he had been in any sort of battle.

"Might be too damn fast for 'im, I think," Hatter answered Jack from somewhere in the library and Alice had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sound of his voice. The relief that swamped her was almost overwhelming. Keeping herself from just racing into the library like a child, she walked slowly, her slippers making soft scuffing sounds on the floor. Jack turned quickly toward her, clearly thinking that there was someone else in the room, but when he saw her he relaxed and grinned.

"You're awake," he said by way of greeting, stepping away from the windows to take her hands in his. Alice nodded and Jack studied her. She still seemed exhausted, her skin remarkably pale and her blue eyes large in her face, but she gave him a strong smile.

"I didn't think I was that tired," she admitted, lifting a hand to push her hair behind an ear nervously when he looked closely at her.

"We've all had some rest. We were worried about you though when you kept sleeping," Jack said. Alice shook her head fondly and quickly hugged him, thankful that he was alive. Jack hugged her back but with more the perfunctory air of a friend making sure she was all right. When she released him, he nodded behind her. "Those two have been driving me insane. More-so than normal for both of them."

Alice turned to see Charlie sputtering with absolute delight as he came toward her. She barely managed his name before he had her in a bone-crushing hug, but she was thankful he didn't have his armour on. He had a light chain-mail still, obviously uncomfortable without it, and it dug into her side when he hugged her tighter. Alice found herself gasping for breath when the hold continued.

"Hi, Charlie," she managed and he let her go a bit, holding her at arms length and studying her.

"Justalice, I was terribly worried for hours. That ghastly nurse displaced me from my proper place at your side and I was forced to keep an eye on your from the astral planes using my very mind and skill in..." Charlie rambled, Alice staring at him as she tried to follow his range of thought. She could have sworn her head ached just from trying.

"Charlie, Alice just woke up. Let her have about 5 minutes without hearin' you ramblin' on and on." Hatter's voice was impatient but kind, coming from just behind Charlie and Charlie released her so that she could see Hatter leaning against one of the tables. He was dressed sedately, clearly in borrowed clothing judging by the plain black shirt and trousers, and the lack of hat struck Alice first. But he smiled at her, his eyes twinkling, and she smiled back, not knowing if she dared to move.

"Oh, will you two just get it over with so we can continue on?" Jack asked with a roll of his eyes. Hatter flicked his eyes at Jack and then back at Alice before he uncrossed his arms and opened them.

"Well, how about that hug then?" he asked, parroting what he had said to her once before. Alice let out a relieved laugh and moved quickly, almost launching herself into his arms and holding onto him tightly. Hatter sighed against the top of her head, his arms wrapped so tight around her that she wasn't sure she could breathe. She didn't care if she could breathe, holding him alive and well was enough to keep her alive without breathing. Shifting against him, Alice felt her fingers brush against something ragged and Hatter hissed in a breath. Pulling her head back, Alice stared at him.

"Hatter," she started but he held her still.

"I'm fine, Alice. Just some stitching that's holdin' me together," he rumbled, reaching out and cupping her cheek. His thumb brushed over her skin gently and she leaned into the touch.

"Considering how much stitching did go into you," Jack commented from behind Alice, "I am surprised you are still standing."

Hatter never took his eyes from Alice's. "What can I say? I heal up fast."

"Right," Jack said disbelievingly and Alice searched Hatter's eyes. He did heal remarkably fast, she realized. He read her expression but shook his head.

"I'm fine, Alice. Really. Just a few cuts that went a bit deeper than I thought. Broken rib or two but nothing that I've not survived before," he answered, trying to reassure her. Behind Alice, he saw Charlie staring at Alice with a quizzical expression. "What is it now, Charlie?" he asked.

"I believe that...she has some strange growth on her back," Charlie said and Alice jerked in panic.

"What?" She whirled on her heel trying to see but Hatter stopped her, keeping her still with her back to him and moving her hair to one side. His fingers trailed over the back of her neck and Alice had to keep herself from shivering at the gentle touch, taking a deep breath in and out. Hatter leaned closer to look, pulling the edge of her collar back so that he could look down the back of her dress. She was about to tell him to stop when she heard him chuckle.

"Looks like your mark found its home again," he said lowly, planting an affectionate kiss to the side of her head.

"Her mark?" Jack asked and Alice looked up at him. She remembered touching the White Queen, of feeling the mark flooding back up her skin.

"I...was able to steal it back. It's moved?" she asked over her shoulder and Hatter nodded.

"And grew a bit." His fingers dropped from her neck and Hatter stepped back to lean against the table. Alice looked over her shoulder at him and he gave her a grin. "I'm not complaining. You know what I think of the marks on you. Icing, remember?"

The flirtatious comment was not lost on the others when Alice's face went scarlet red and Jack rolled his eyes at the remark. Then he was moving to one of the corners where the drapes had been pulled away from a bay window and for the first time Alice saw the woman sitting there. Frowning, she stepped around Charlie and tipped her head on the side as she watched Jack gently shake the woman.

"I'm awake, Jack. Just closed my eyes for a moment," a familiar voice said dryly and Alice stared. The Duchess looked nothing like the woman Alice had met before, had no trace of the ice cold noble who had made Alice feel two feet tall. Her hair was hung low over her shoulders in loose curls and she was bundled up in a thick flannel robe but what struck Alice was the expression she wore. It was a mixture of amusement and melancholy, her face still marked by bruises and her one eye still blood red from a broken blood vessel.

Amelia caught Alice staring and stared back. She remembered this girl as her rival at one time, remember how even though Alice was short and lacking nobility she had been able to make Amelia feel more worried than many other women could. Yet she couldn't summon that worry now and she merely nodded to the other woman. It was easier to see Alice as someone else who had suffered at the hands of the White and Red Royals rather than as a rival. Especially when Alice was clearly attached to Hatter, and he was attached to her with the sort of devotion Amelia envied.

"Hello, Alice, it's been a while," she offered.

"How're you feeling?" Alice asked, not sure what else she could say. Amelia didn't answer her, merely shrugged and gave Alice a meaningful look before darting her eyes at the still hovering Jack. Alice bit back the giggle she felt absurdly like giving and simply shook her head.

"The Club said you wanted me?" she asked and Jack nodded, stepping away from Amelia and crossing his arms behind his back.

"We've a matter to take care of. Wonderland is recovering, quickly enough because..." he waved a hand in the air as if thinking how to explain and Amelia sighed.

"Many of the citizens are not remembering what happened," she said bluntly. "It is as if it never happened to them."

The words sunk in slowly to Alice and she recognized the confusion in Amelia's voice. Everything they had done and no one would remember it save for a few? While Alice wished she couldn't remember it, that she wouldn't have that blissful ignorance was disappointing in her mind.

"How long were we gone for?" she asked and at that question even Charlie looked uncomfortable. Hatter cleared his throat.

"When we were in the Taiga, to us it was days but to Wonderland we were gone well over three weeks," he answered. "Long enough for the Red King and White Queen to weave enough magic around Wonderland that it disrupted people's memories."

"Now that the magic is fading, they don't realize what has happened or for how long. To them, the invasion lasted only a matter of days," Jack said. "I do not have the resources to prove otherwise to them, nor do I believe I want to."

"I can imagine," Alice whispered.

Jack continued after a moment, "But there is someone we must take care of. It is what we were discussing before you came."

Alice thought back to then and frowned. "Chesh? He's still..."

"Locked up," Hatter said. "Jack's got 'im in one of those padded cells they used to transport Oysters with."

"There is more than a few still loyal to the White House and should he get out, I think he will try something that we may all regret." Jack sighed and put his hand to his head. "But I'm not like my mother. I cannot just order executions left and right."

"A noble change," Charlie offered and Jack shook his head.

"I'm not so certain," he said. "It is a sign of weakness if I cannot give the harshest punishment to one that deserves it. My hesitation in ordering his execution is...that I am not certain that that is what he deserves."

Hatter coughed, clearly shocked and about to say something but Jack held up his hand.

"I think he deserves something far worse."

Hatter leaned back, thinking that maybe he had underestimated how like his mother Jack could be. Charlie was clearly thinking the same thing. "Something worse? I would have thought that removing his head from his body would be punishment enough," he pointed out and Hatter shook his own head.

"Nah, Jackie boy's got a point. Chesh is likely bankin' on it and I've got the suspicion that he wasn't the only one that was helpin' the White Queen. Someone had to have let the Red King out of the prison and we might never know who. If Jack makes an example of Chesh, one that makes that sect think twice before tryin' such a thing again," Hatter said and Jack nodded, his eyes meeting Hatter's.

"Precisely. I've my own men investigating but the tracks have been wiped clean. There are no other prisoners missing from the Lake Prison thankfully." He turned to look out the window again at the lake in the distance. "But I am not certain what to do."

"I do," Alice whispered and they all looked at her, even Hatter seeming surprised. Alice ran her fingers through her hair, thinking it over before continuing, "It is the only thing I can think of."

"What is it?" Jack asked, staring hard at her.

"Do you still have the Sceptre?" Alice asked in return and he nodded. "Then that is all we need."

Hatter and Jack both realized what she was thinking of doing and gaped at her. Charlie and Amelia, both lost, looked at each other in confusion. "What exactly is the sort of punishment that you are thinking of?" Amelia asked. She had not been directly hurt by Chesh's betrayals but she had seen his sparks of cruelty toward the Crows and Knights. Had seen the grief that had afflicted Jack when he had learned of the Knave's death at Chesh's hands.

Alice looked at her. "I mean, it's just a theory but I think I can do it."

"Alice," Hatter said, his voice low and he walked toward her. He turned her to him and put his hands on her shoulders. "I know where this is going and it's not like you."

"I know," Alice answered. "I know. But I have a condition to helping Jack."

"What is it?" Jack asked as he stood by Hatter, peering down at her curiously.

"I want him to have a trial. I think you need his crimes said before witnesses, those that could spread the word easily," Alice explained. Her eyes met Hatter's.

"He'll try to talk himself free, you know that," he warned and Alice smiled.

"I'm counting on it. He may talk in circles but if he thinks he has a chance of going free, he'll simply incriminate himself," Alice said and Hatter's eyes went over her face. He didn't speak, though something was clearly bothering him. Behind him, Charlie sighed.

"Witnesses?" he asked, sounding very old suddenly. Jack looked at him, seeing how much the idea of executing the Cheshire was actually bothering him.

"I want the Dormouse, Dodo, Toby Mouse, and the Cook from the Taiga. That will cover many of the areas. All have an array of contacts, I have no doubt, and the word will spread quickly to those who plotted to release the Red King," he stated. His eyes stayed on Charlie. "I will need someone to retrieve the Cook of course."

It took Charlie a moment before he got to his feet with a scuffle. "I of course, will pledge my services of retrieval. It will be a decent three days ride..."

"I'll have a Scarab instead. That way you do not get lost in the Taiga. We are going to go above the rules of the Taiga in this, now that we can use flight," Jack said and Alice smiled when Charlie seemed almost too enthusiastic. Clearly something had happened at the Inn that she had been too blind to notice, judging by Charlie's expression. Hatter looked at Jack.

"Dormie won't leave the Tea Shop. Dodo's not likely to come this far to the Palace. He still doesn't trust any of us."

"Then let's hold this at the Tea Shop," Alice said. Hatter looked at her, his eyebrows nearly to his hairline in surprise. She smiled at him. "That way you don't have far to go back, hmm?"

"I suppose," he answered and then looked over at where Amelia was still sitting. "What about you, Duchess? Feel like taggin' along?"

Unlike Jack, Hatter was deliberately being casual about her obvious injuries and strangely Amelia seemed to appreciate it.

"I've not been to the Tea House in years. The trip will be interesting," she agreed and Jack shook his head at her.

"You shouldn't..." he started. Amelia crossed her arms over her chest and simply stared at him until Jack sighed. "Fine. Three hours time, Charlie, we'll meet you there. I'll have my men transfer Chesh and the Crows we managed to capture to the Tea House while several find Dodo at the Great Library. I want this over with as quickly as possible."

* * *

"You know," Hatter commented, "I think I prefer riding."

Standing beside him in the cockpit of the Scarab, Alice managed a feeble agreement around her turning stomach. The Suit flying the Scarab was rather out of practise and despite Jack's insistence that it was quicker to take a small Scarab to the Tea Shop, the trip had felt long with the amount of turbulence that had occurred. Alice wasn't sure she would be able to open her own eyes without feeling ready to throw up. The Scarab came to a jerky landing and beside Alice, Hatter groaned and rubbed at his own stomach.

"Definitely prefer riding," he grumbled as the doors opened. Jack went first with the guard he had, Amelia following slowly and with obvious discomfort at the sunlight. Looking at Alice, Hatter gave her a smile and offered her his arm. Alice smiled weakly, standing up on her shaky legs and looping her arm through his.

"Thanks," she whispered as he led her out, careful not to lean into him. Hatter had not said a word as to how injured he actually was but she could see the careful way he moved, how he was favouring his shoulder still. As if reading her mind, Hatter gave a sigh.

"Alice, I'm fine. Really." He kept her just behind the others as they went up the old veranda into the Tea Shop.

"I know, it's just..." Alice broke off, knowing she'd never find the words anyway. She wasn't likely to stop being worried about Hatter until they were both healed completely. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He had complained vehemently about having to wear Jack's old cast-offs, the plain red shirt and grey trousers both too long for him. Alice had pointed out that she was no better in wearing old cast-offs from the various Court members, her coat covering a skirt she had had to belt several times around her waist. Hatter's critique on fashion hadn't made her feel any more attractive but it had shown that he was grumpily going towards being his old self again. A thought struck her and she looked at him. "What happened to the Jabberwock?" she asked.

Hatter cocked his head on the side. "Old Suzy? Dunno. I think she's gone back to the woods. Least I hope she has. Haven't been in shape to go and find her yet."

"Or she could be running loose around Wonderland City," Alice pointed out and Hatter grinned.

"Now that, Alice, is a positively mad thought." He looked at her. "You've been hangin' around me too long."

Alice snorted. "I take it you get a kick out of the idea of Suzy roaming around the City?"

"Oh I do. Especially if she were to go harass Dodo at some point. That...that would be worth bringing her into the City." Hatter chuckled at the thought and Alice rolled her eyes.

The Tea Shop was in the same condition as they had left it, though several Suits were moving back and forth with tables and chairs. They were lining them up carefully, some arguing as to the proper order of things. They were the few Suits that had managed to avoid being turned into Knights and they were bearing the brunt of the workload it seemed. It was making them bicker constantly and Jack was clearly getting annoyed. He strode away from Amelia and the others, snapping orders briskly.

Alice stopped beside Amelia. "I see he is back to being a king."

"He will always be," Amelia said with a faint smile. Hatter let go of Alice, pushing a scurrying Suit out of his way as he went to Dormie's desk first before he disappeared into his offices. Alice watched for a moment and Amelia looked at her with careful eyes. Alice looked back around at the Duchess and gave her a nervous smile.

"What?"

"You seem different, Alice, than the last time we met. Especially around Hatter." Amelia nodded to where Hatter had disappeared. "He's not the same either. The few times we met he was rather..."

She waved her hand a few times in the air as if that explained everything.

"I can imagine," Alice admitted and gave the Duchess an equally frank look. "You're not the same either. But people change."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Amelia answered but her voice was stiff, her eyes on the floor. Alice reached out and touched her shoulder, ignoring the hustle and bustle around them.

"What happened?" she asked and when the woman went to pull away Alice tightened her grip gently. "Amelia, have you spoken to Jack? About what happened to you?"

"I will, eventually," Amelia answered, " but there are far more pressing things than myself to worry him."

Alice stared at her, her fingers flexing over gently against Amelia's arm. She knew that the other woman was likely to never broach the subject with Jack because she thought that it would never matter to him. Jack would never bring it up because he would be terrified of hurting her. "There's no time like the present."

The way Amelia looked at her made it clear that she had struck to sensitive a nerve and Alice sighed. "Jack is my friend and even I know that he is rather dense. But he is not without a heart and you need to speak to him."

"This matters that much to you?" Amelia asked, her voice kept low as Jack passed them. She was tense, Alice could feel it, but there was a hint of desperation to her voice.

"It does," Alice said. She was saved from elaborating as Hatter came backwards through the door, holding a teetering tea tray in one hand. It jankled and rattled when he nearly tripped over a fallen chair but Hatter righted himself in time. Alice and Amelia both watched with equally confused expressions on their faces and he continued to hum to himself as he went to one of the tables the Suits had set up. As they watched, he carefully set up the tea tray and tea cups in order of the chairs, meticulous enough that he turned cups this way or that way to keep them in some fashion he thought was right. Alice let go of Amelia and walked over to him, tipping her head on the side. He was crouched on the other side of the table, on eye level with the tea pot as he turned its handle carefully.

"What are you doing?" she asked, interrupting his humming. Hatter flicked his eyes up to her.

"Setting up tea. Trials are always momentous occasions for tea," he said and Alice gave him a look. Sheepishly, he flicked his eyes at both Amelia and Jack. "I also figured we could use a spot of tea to relax, eh?"

"Not a bad idea," Alice asked, reaching out and removing the cap of a tiny jar. There was only two on the table, both old antique blue china, and when she looked in there was a faint blue liquid in the one. Before she could think to take a spoonful just to see what it was, Hatter tapped her wrist and put the cap back on the jar.

"Ah uh. That's not for you," Hatter declared. "You're sweet enough, luv."

"My mother used to say that all the time," Alice responded and Hatter grinned, leaning across the table and pouring steaming tea into the cups.

"I always did like your mother," he said before making a face, " 'cept for that absolutely dreadful 'green tea' she was so fond of. It wasn't even a real green and tasted like dirt. Dreadful."

"Well, Master of Tea, what are you serving us?" Alice asked and he smiled, reaching up to his head as if to tip a hat. He remembered that he wasn't wearing one and pouted.

"Pinch of Chia, old root and lemon-grass."

He handed Alice a cup of the tea without milk or sugar and she sipped at it gingerly. It nearly burned her tongue but it tasted like a sweetened version of a Breakfast tea. Hatter looked at her expectantly and she smiled as she walked over to his side of the table.

"It's good. Stop looking so smug."

The affectionate way she said it took any sting out of the words and he whistled at Jack and Amelia. "Stop lookin' like you're both about to run off or yell at Suits. Have a cuppa."

"Tea?" Jack raised a brow. "That is your idea of preparing for a trial?"

Hatter shrugged. "Far better than yellin' at people. Sit down and stop usin' that Royal head of yours so much. It's already rusty from infrequent use."

Alice giggled but stopped herself when Jack gave her a look. She managed a perfectly bland face but her eyes were dancing as she sat in one of the patio chairs carefully.

"A cup of tea wouldn't hurt," Amelia said, tugging on Jack's sleeve. "Let the Suits take care of things. They're eager enough."

He followed her unwillingly, taking a seat opposite of Hatter and Alice and tucking in. Hatter eyed him before pouring two cups of tea and setting the milk and sugar before Jack and Amelia. Alice watched as he set up the two jars as well and Amelia sniffed at the sight of one. Hatter met her eyes.

"It's a touch of treacle. You just need a spoonful of it. Sweetens the tea," he explained and she nodded as if it made sense. She took a spoonful of the blue liquid and tapped it into her tea cup before swirling it around. Hatter poured his own cup of tea and leaned back in his chair, Alice sipping at her tea and watching as Jack took a spoonful of the other jar and copied Amelia. As close as he sat to Amelia, the Duchess was obviously uncomfortable with his proximity, leaning a bit away as if his presence was almost too much. Alice wondered, watching them as she was, if the pair had even spoken as honestly as they should and she was starting to doubt it very much.

Amelia took a sip of the tea finally, her eyes closing as if the tea was the best she had tasted. She swallowed slowly, the sound audible and Alice looked at her. Amelia seemed to go completely slack for a moment, the tension she carried leaving her body quickly, before she perked up again. Her eyes seemed to shine with emotion and Alice looked at Hatter, hoping for an explanation. His eyes were narrow over the rim of his tea cup as he took a drink, his gaze locked on Jack instead. Alice followed his eyes to see that Jack was still leaning close to Amelia, setting down his cup after a drink. The pair seemed to have forgotten that Alice and Hatter were in the room, talking lowly to one another. Jack had a soft expression on his face that Alice had never seen before and she noticed that he was still stirring with the spoon from the second jar.

It clicked quickly then and Alice turned in her seat toward Hatter. He was still sipping at his own tea but he had a wicked grin on his lips as he watched Jack and Amelia. He looked like a cat that had eaten a canary and Alice decided that she was likely correct in her assumption. Alice waited for him to lower his tea cup before she punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Hatter hissed, putting his cup down and rubbing at his bicep gingerly. "What'd you do that for?!"

"You drugged them!" Alice whispered incredulously.

"I most certainly did not!" Hatter answered lowly, clearly insulted. She stared at him and even though he didn't turn his head she knew that he felt her stare. " I merely placed two jars near them and if they chose to take some of it it was their own choice."

"That's almost the same thing," Alice insisted, glad that the other two were too wrapped up in their conversation to pay them any attention. A thought struck her and she looked down at her own tea cup. "Did you drug me as well?"

Hatter gave her a cheeky grin. "Why? You feelin' lustful at all?"

She punched him in the arm again and glared at him. He met her eyes and his own twinkled when he saw that she really wasn't that angry with him.

"What was in the jars?" she asked. "Though telling me will make me an accessory to this."

Hatter tried out his innocent look on her again. "Just a dash of diluted Hope and Understanding. Things I had left over you know, from the old Heart rule," he explained. "I had to use it up somehow and I couldn't think of anyone who needed it more than those two."

It was a strange yet considerate gesture, the kind that made Alice look at Hatter and realize that there was yet another side to him that she had known existed but had never seen so extended towards others. The look made him fidget nervously, bracing himself for yet another punch. "What?" he asked.

Alice suddenly smiled at him and touched his hand with hers. "Nothing. It's just...that was sweet, Hatter. Vastly sneaky, controversial, and something that you'd be imprisoned for in my world. But sweet nonetheless."

"I've been known to have my moments," he grumbled good-naturedly. He looked so pleased with himself that Alice was ready to point out that he had had many moments when he showed the kind of man he was. The kind that he had once tried to hide, the kind of man she knew was there.

Alice had been about to say that when the Seven of Clubs suddenly appeared at the front doors, followed closely by Charlie and the Cook. They were bickering fiercely about the way to smoke borogrove, Charlie still having that absolutely smitten expression he had had before. The Cook looked remarkably the same as she had at the Inn: the same odd clothing and a pepper shaker tied with a retractable cord to her girdle. Her eyes alighted on the group quickly and she broke off her conversation with Charlie when she saw the Duchess beside Jack.

"Amelia!" she exclaimed, leaving Charlie to move surprisingly fast toward the young woman. Amelia had, for the first time, a genuinely happy smile as she stood and wrapped her arms around the small woman. The Cook sniffled. "Child, you've grown!"

"Hello, Marta. It's been too long. Mother said that you were still trapped..." Amelia answered as she pulled back from the sniffling Cook. Hatter and Alice exchanged a look but the Cook was so pleased with seeing Amelia that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining.

"In the past. I missed you growin' up I see!" She leaned away and gave the woman a look up and down, keeping her eyes from lingering on the cuts and bruises that marred Amelia's face. Her eyes darted to Jack and then back to Amelia. "Married to his Majesty yet?"

Her bluntness made Alice bite into her lower lip, Hatter lowering his own eyes while Amelia looked downright uncomfortable. But Jack put his tea cup down and stood beside Amelia.

"Not yet," he answered for her and the Duchess turned shocked eyes on him that he wisely ignored. "But soon. Provided she'll want me."

The Cook sniffed. "Well. It had better be soon. I've no part with loose morals and young people sneakin' around. Especially after the last time."

"Last time?" Charlie echoed, scratching at his beard. The Cook nodded, arching a brow.

"I discovered shortly after you all left that a pair of you, who shall remain nameless of course, elected to use one of my fine beds for a purpose other than sleeping."

Hatter promptly choked on the tea he had been sipping, coughing harshly as he tried to get it down properly. Alice went lobster red and looked out one of the windows instead.

"Oh?" Charlie asked, his eyes still confused. The Cook, delighted at his interest, nodded.

"The mattress had several broken coils and the headboard was bent out of shape. Both antiques need I remind you. Even worse, the rest of the furniture had a list of complaints about being kept up so late at night. It took me a good few days before they would stop complaining."

Hatter and Alice both slid down as low in their chairs as they could when everyone looked at them. Despite that they were both adults and that their affairs were private, something Alice wanted to point out, it was like being found out by her mother and she refused to look up from her lap. Hatter cleared his throat and looked up at the Cook.

"Would four packets of tea do for you to stop embarrassin' us?" he pleaded and she gave him an appraising look.

"Six."

"Done," Hatter said with obvious relief and straightened in his chair. He looked at Alice and leaned over, whispering lowly, "I think I still have drops of Forgetfulness."

"Don't," Alice warned, finally losing the flush to her cheeks. He shrugged and then looked at where the Seven of Clubs stood talking to one of the Suits who had just arrived. Jack had the good grace to look away from them, Amelia was smirking, but Charlie was still gaping.

"You...he...broke a headboard?" he asked and Alice groaned, putting her head in her hands. Hatter looked at Charlie.

"Charlie, catch." He tossed the Knight a scone. "It's better than puttin' your foot into your mouth."

The Knight took the hint and bit down on the scone, chewing slowly. His eyes, still bright and confused, darted between Hatter and Alice. Alice simply prayed that his shaky memory would forget it all.

The Seven of Clubs coughed discreetly and gave Jack a bow. "They've arrived, sir. The unit used to bring in the Dodo, Dormouse and the ferryman are here, as is the Prisoner Detail."

They all tensed, forgetting the embarrassment of Hatter and Alice. Jack nodded and showed the Cook and Charlie to their seats. "Show them all in."


	44. Catch and Release

Trials in Wonderland were vastly different than the trials in Alice's world. There was no formal judge, nor real jury; Alice wasn't even sure exactly what the laws in Wonderland were. She doubted that any crash course that Jack or Hatter gave her would help her understand how it all worked. Considering how strange the punishments could be, Alice wondered if the laws were just as strange or twisted. So she had taken her seat beside Hatter, just to watch and try to understand. After being shown in by the Clubs, Dormie, Dodo, and Toby Mouse were all seated at a table beside the Cook and had been threatened nicely to keep their quiet as much as possible. Though it was unlikely, considering how vocal the foursome tended to be.

Then the Prison Scarab had arrived and, slowly, Crows were ushered into the room. When the room became crowded by the small murder of Crows left, the air in the room became thick with tension. The White Queen's power had not faded completely yet, as evidence by the Crows that stood before them. They were the few still left in the City, having been captured by the Suits on their attempts to escape back to the Taiga. The Suits that had recovered quickly from being Knights had been set out to find any evidence of the Taiga Rulers' servants and they had done their job quickly and efficiently. The Crows were all bound, staring impassively before themselves with no emotion crossing their strange faces. They were all stuck in a hideous half-man/half-bird form, some with feathers sprouting from their faces, others with arms half-changed into wings, all somehow malformed now.

Alice felt pity for them, even when they stood staring defiantly at the Wonderlanders who were about to decide their fate. The Club who had led them in was reading out a list of charges that had obviously been well thought over. He read it out in a monotone, droning on and on. It was not that the charges were many but with typical pompousness the Club was using too many adjectives to describe the charges, the sort of speech that would make any English professor horrified. Hatter's head sagged down a bit, his eyes closing slowly, and Alice dug her elbow into his side, causing him to jump in his seat. He blinked rapidly before he looked at her and saw her shake her head in warning at him. The Club slammed his book shut and stepped back from the Crows, nodding to Jack. Jack sighed and squared his shoulders as he moved to stand before the small murder.

"You all understand the charges of conspiracy?" Jack asked aloud, his eyes on the Crows. As one, they nodded, chattering nervously until one larger Crow stepped forward from them. He was clearly going to be their voice in this and he cawed several times in an attempt to clear his throat. His face was the least changed, still nearly all human though his throat was covered with black feathers. He grimaced at the sounds coming from his throat, looking distressed that he could not speak.

Dormie sighed in exasperation, peeking out from his collar to eye the tall Crow. "Really, is there any question as to what should be done to them? It is not as if we can understand them at all. I'm all for quick executions."

Alice stared at him, grinding her teeth together.

"Dormie, need I remind you that keeping your mouth closed is likely in your best interest unless you have something worthwhile to contribute," Jack snapped. Dormie grumbled to himself and pushed his head back down into his collar. Hatter rolled his eyes and sipped at his tea again, shaking his head at Dormie in exasperation. Jack looked at Alice over his shoulder and she saw that he was wanting her beside him, his fingers waggling impatiently at her. Alice slipped from her chair and joined Jack, staring at the Crows.

The Crows focussed on Alice intently, their black eyes almost burrowing into her as they gave her looks of utter desperation. Alice met the eyes of several of them, watching as they twitched nervously when Jack stepped closer to stare at them. He had clearly been refining his imperious look again and Alice wondered if the Crows were as intimidated as they were appearing. After years of living with the White Queen's iron fist, Alice doubted that they could be as easily intimidated, even by Jack. But they were frightened, she could tell. Jack held the power of life and death over them right now and they knew it.

"For your crimes against the House of Hearts and Wonderland, I recommend imprisonment in the Lake Prison," Jack started and the Crows all jerked in surprise as if his words had been slapped them. Alice looked quickly away from them, staring at Jack with her mouth half open in some surprise. _Why did he want her beside him if he already knew what he was going to sentence the Crows with?_ Jack ignored her look and continued on, "unless someone else can decide a punishment far more suiting for your crimes."

Alice looked down at the floor, ready to back away from the group and keep her silence. Then she looked back up and the Crows looked back at her. They were all squawking at the same time so that the sound carried even in the Tea Shop, deafening and distressed. Alice looked over her shoulder and saw that both Charlie and Hatter were looking abit aghast. They remembered what had happened in the Manor but Alice saw that the hastily assembled 'jury' was agreeing with Jack already. Biting into her lower lip nervously, Alice stepped closer to Jack.

"No," she declared, her hand on Jack's arm. He looked at her, his regal persona slipping when he saw the look in her blue eyes. Alice stared at him, pleading with him to understand. "Jack...I did offer them a chance when they let us go in the Manor."

"Alice, they were conspirators," Jack started and her grip tightened.

"Jack, I don't believe they were. Whatever she did to them..." Alice paused, looking at the half-changed Crows. "They didn't come into this willingly. They were trapped by her, the same way we were."

"You'd be willing to bet everything that they are innocent?" Jack demanded. His voice was rough but when Alice looked back at him, she saw that he was agreeing with her. He was playing the part of the cold ruler again, the one with no room for mercy unless another asked him for it. Wishing she could call him out on it, Alice gave his arm a warning squeeze.

"I never said they were innocent but I'm willing to repay the debt to them. I owe them this."

Jack sighed, exasperated but seeing how stubborn she was going to be he knew that something was going on in her mind. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that while the jury was willing to side with his decision, Hatter and Charlie had no intention of doing so. "Very well. What do you suggest?" he asked.

Alice didn't answer as she stepped in front of him to the Crows. She twisted her fingers nervously as she took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Of all the things she had faced, the Crows she didn't fear much at all, only felt a deep pity for. They were not innocent, she knew that, but the Crows had helped them in the Manor when they had been ordered to kill Alice and her friends They all stared at her warily, the lead Crow meeting her eyes with his own black beady ones. He lifted a half-wing toward her., his fingers still there but stretched to painful lengths and covered with black feathers. Stepping back, Alice flicked her tongue over her suddenly dry lips and stared at him.

"You promised," he managed, his voice hoarse and broken. Alice tilted her head back to look at him.

"I know...I know I did," Alice answered. "Why haven't you changed back into crows properly?"

"We can't change until the White Queen's power has left us," the Crow answered. He flexed his arm to show her the way the feathers were sticking at all angles, some covered with blood from his change.

"But she's dead," Alice started and the Crows chattered impatiently at their leader. He waved his half-wing back at the other Crows and they fell silent again.

"Her power still has its grip upon us. You have to be the one to let us go," he insisted. Staring at him and then at the other Crows who had lined up behind him, Alice realized that they were still here all because of what had happened when the Queen had stolen her mark. While the White Queen had taken Alice's glow, Alice herself had absorbed some of the White Queen's power at that point. It was because of her they were stuck in these strange twisted bodies. Weeks ago, Alice would have likely thought it impossible for such a thing to happen; now, after all that had happened, it actually made sense to her. The revelation made her stare at the Lead Crow before glancing over her shoulder at the small group of witnesses. They stared blankly at her, clearly confused by the Crows, but when she looked at the Cook, she noticed that the older woman was staring at her intently.

"That's all?" Alice asked when she turned back to the lead Crow. "It's that simple?"

He stared at her.

"Of course it is. It would be that simple just to confuse me," Alice muttered to herself and promptly pushed her hair away from her eyes. Alice thought it over slowly, trying to decide what she wanted to do and how she could do it. Reaching out, she put her hand on the Crow's strange arm, feeling the bristle of feathers that stood up at her touch. The Crow's black eyes blinked rapidly, as if he were trying to decide whether he should pull his arm away from her. Alice stared at him, thinking about how it was still unfair that they remained this way they obviously just wanted to go home. Staring so intently into the Crow's black eyes, she did not see her hand glow slightly, the light absorbing into his midnight black feathers.

"Go home. The way you had been before she stole you," she whispered so lowly that only he heard her. The Crow's broad shoulders visibly relaxed and his expression changed from wary to elated, his black eyes brightening with a gleam that had never been there before. He gave Alice a bow that was just shy of formal before he looked at the others. They were all twitching, bodies shrinking and twisting strangely as they fell to their knees. Alice stepped away to stand beside Jack, her eyes intent on the Crows. Jack gave her a look before he watched with her as the Crows began to change. The entire murder was on their knees, hands pressed to their heads. Their mouths opened but there was no strange bird-like sounds that came from them, their screams silent. There was a flap of clothing falling to the ground in heaps as their bodies continued to change, shrinking further and further until they were tiny compared to the size they had once been. In a flash of light, they went from strange men to birds once more, lying in the clothing with their wings batting the air furiously. As if they were relearning their bodies, the Crows hopped this way and that around the floor until the Crow that had been before Alice finally found the strength to lift off the ground. The others followed his lead, flying into the air in frenzied delight at their changed bodies. They made a beautiful sight, a stream of black birds dancing in the air and screaming with joy, but Hatter swore aloud at the damage they could do when he saw the speed that they were diving and soaring with.

"Open a window," Jack ordered and the stupefied Club nearest to him darted to do his bidding. The moment the one window was open the murder of crows swung in a wide arc around Alice, their wings brushing her cheek like a farewell caress as they flew to the window. Alice turned on her heel to watch, hearing their screeching and feeling an unexpected joy along with them as she watched them fly into the City. They flew back towards the lake, clearly going home.

The others had stood up to watch, all of them silent until the crows were just a black cloud in the distance, and the Cook scratched at her head. "Well now, that was a most unexpected conclusion for them, wasn't it?"

* * *

The jury was rather irate that they had been brought about to just watch and not actually have a say. Dodo was the most irritated, having thought this an opportunity to wiggle in his own influence with Jack. The young Heart had deceived him with this strange offer and Dodo and Dormie were quickly figuring out that they had been brought not for any form of justice, but to spread the word of Jack's kind of justice. It made them sullen and Dormie was fast asleep, his face pressed half down into his collar. Hatter, sitting at the table nearby, picked off a bit of scone and tossed it at Dormie. It hit him in the nose and Dormie squeaked as he woke up. He banged into Toby sitting beside him and the ferryman gave him a hard shove over into Dodo, who shoved back at the Dormouse so that Dormie fell backward over his chair.

Beside Hatter, having taken her seat, Alice gave him a hard nudge to stop him from being a nuisance.

"This going to take much longer, eh?" Toby Mouse demanded as he watched Dormie get back into his seat. "I've got a ferry to run you know."

"Just one last one," Jack answered. He looked at the Ten of Clubs. "Bring him in."

* * *

When Jack's men had found the Cheshire, he had been still unconscious in the closet Hatter had locked him in. His badly broken face and the amount of blood he had lost had made the doctors uncertain he would live, much less be in any shape to actually want to live. While Jack had debated on just letting him die, his conscience and need to know why Chesh had so ruthlessly betrayed and killed had tugged at him. Knowing he might regret it, he had told them to repair him so that he would at least be alive to stand for sentencing. Even Jack, knowing Hatter at least fairly well, had been stunned by the damage Hatter had done to the Cheshire. But considering the amount of damage Hatter had suffered as well, Chesh seemed to well deserve it. Jack had intended on just putting the Cheshire into the Lake Prison but he had the suspicion that the man would do considerable damage if he was put in any near vicinity of the most dangerous criminals in Wonderland. He had kept Chesh in the padded cells, chained and tended to by the most incorruptible of his men. The Cheshire had a working jaw again, the surgeons having operated quickly, but the one time Jack had spoken to him to warn him of sentencing he had noticed that Chesh now had a permanent lisp that distorted his words.

Chesh was escorted by five Suits, his arms chained behind his back and dressed in the usual Wonderland prison uniform of maroon and white cottons. A strange sight after his love for oddly coloured tweeds and yellow spectacles. He had his head lifted though, his expression unconcerned as he stared at them all. Almost as if he was determined to meet whatever his fate was with the most amount of defiance he could muster. His eyes went to Hatter and he gave him the kind of smirk an old enemy might have given on a battlefield. Meeting his stare, Hatter visibly stiffened and Alice put her hand on his knee without looking at him.

"So, what a wonderful surprise. Everyone alive and well," Chesh said dryly. He raised his eyebrow at Amelia and then at Alice. "Almost. There is one missing I believe."

"The one you killed," Hatter ground out between clenched teeth. Chesh turned large cat green eyes on him and blinked slowly, considering.

"That I killed? I was merely a servant; a tool in a game started by those far greater than myself. I think you will find that the man who really killed the Knave is the one standing before me," Chesh answered, his eyes flicking to Jack. The younger man flinched and Chesh knew that he had found a sore nerve. The smirk he had been giving Hatter grew to a nasty smile and if he had been a cat, his tail would have likely curled and twitched with pleasure. "Who led you all so haphazardly into such a mad adventure? Surely there is a responsibility in that."

"Cretin," Charlie hissed, his nose twitching in agitation. Hatter looked over at him, surprised at the anger in the older Knight's face.

"I would say it's pure luck that you didn't all die. You should be proud, your Majesty. Your actions only damaged some lives, not all lives. But perhaps the lives you saved were not the ones you truly cared about. No, the ones you cared for will likely be a ghost on your conscience. How dreadful," Chesh said as if Charlie hadn't spoken. Dodo was stunned by the malevolence in his voice and he looked at the others sitting with him. The two other men looked just as stunned but the Cook sat still, her eyes narrow and cold. She knew, better than most, what this devious Cheshire was capable of and her beady eyes stayed on his face.

Jack cleared his throat. "You stand accused of treason and murder in the most cold blooded of fashions. You betrayed trust given to you and without thought endangered all of Wonderland."

Chesh arched a brow at them. "Is that all?

Charlie gobbled, stunned by the Cheshire's casual expression. "What kind of creature are you to so easily..."

"I'm a realist, Knight. More than you can realize," Chesh answered dryly. "Far greater things have almost destroyed Wonderland in years past. Things you all would never remember nor would like to learn of. I could list names, dates, people. Would you execute them all? Destroy them?" His eyes went back to Jack. "I am just curious as to how the King plans to punish me for my...'treason'."

From the other table, Dodo leaned forward. "You are a Cheshire?" he asked, his tone cold. Chesh looked over at him but didn't answer. Dodo's eyes flicked to Jack, who gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. "Your kind stood accused of treason many times. Are we all surprised at him betraying? Murdering?"

"Clearly his Majesty's tiny posse are not," Chesh commented, eyes flickering over the group he had once travelled with. He had felt the distrust the three men had bore him for most of their journey into the Taiga. "Well. Most of them." His eyes met Alice's and he gave her a smarmy smile. "But the ones that mattered...they were truly surprised."

Alice wondered, watching Chesh as closely as she was, if his nonchalance was merely an act. While at first sight he seemed completely relaxed and unconcerned by the possibility of execution, there were tiny quirks that pointed otherwise. Quirks that she likely would have never noticed if the men she travelled with hadn't had the same sort of idiosyncrasies. The fingers of his right hand kept waggling quickly, his eyes would dart back and forth subtly, and he seemed to barely breathe at times, his breathing kept so shallow that Alice saw he was going a faint shade of red. The way he focussed on Hatter, even though the young man would barely look up from his tea cup to look back at him, was strange as well and Alice looked at Hatter on a whim. He was staring at his tea cup, tracing the rim with an index finger slowly. His chin lifted finally and he set his tea cup down.

When he lifted his eyes to meet Chesh's, even Alice felt a cold shiver go up her spine at the expression in them. She had never seen Hatter look at someone with such loathing as he was looking at Chesh with. It was a side to him she hadn't really seen in full force and the change in him made her heart pound nervously. Darting her eyes back to Chesh, Alice saw the same hatred there though it was mixed with threads of fear. Reaching beneath the table, she brushed her hand against Hatter's leg. He broke Chesh's stare and met her eyes, forcing himself to relax when he saw her concern and he shook his head at her.

"You okay?" she whispered and he nodded.

"Just fine." Something in his tone didn't quite convince her and she frowned, puzzled by the change in him from playful to almost fierce yet melancholy. Hatter made a point of looking back ahead of himself and Alice did so as well, determined to ask him what was bothering him so much at a later point.

Hatter knew he shouldn't show such agitation, that Chesh could use it to his own benefit if he could, and he forced himself to stare impassively at Chesh. He had hoped that Jack would deal with Chesh privately or at least give him the option of not being there, but because of Hatter's involvement in almost completely crushing Chesh's face to oblivion, Jack had insisted on Hatter being there. Hatter was the only real witness to what Chesh had done to the Knave, had been the first to suspect him, and his word was certainly better than nothing at all. The Cheshire, with all of his tics, was certain that whatever punishment Jack merited out for him would be something he could handle. Having Hatter there knocked his certainty down several pegs and he was not as confident as he was trying to appear.

In his personal opinion, Hatter was rather hoping that he'd get a punishment where they could all take a good shot at him. A firing squad or two would be perfect as well.

"I find it so fascinating that you would condemn me for serving my mistress when the Crows did the same thing," Chesh said.

"They were captured by the White Queen on a lie," Jack said, eyes going to Alice. She nodded slightly and Jack stepped toward Chesh. "I don't believe you were."

"I was chained in a tree, is that not the same thing?" Chesh responded and the Cook suddenly straightened in her seat.

"Knowing you, you went willingly and did so because you saw merit in it," she said, her small eyes narrowed at him.

"You've been running an Inn in the Taiga," he answered snidely, "what exactly do you know?"

"You said that 'a Lady' had chained you, that she ran the Inn," Alice said, thinking aloud and taking his attention away from the Cook. "That was the White Queen wasn't it?"

When he didn't answer she looked at the Cook. "Why didn't you tell us?"

This time, the Cook looked uncomfortable and she rubbed at her apple red cheeks quickly. "I was tricked into giving loyalty to Alice the First and I was certainly not the first to do so. It happened when she won her Chess Game...and I regretted it for years after. My servitude included my silence or she'd destroy me and my home. I dared not to go against her. I warned you as best as I could."

Thinking back to the Inn and what the Cook had tried to tell her then, Alice knew she spoke the truth and she looked away from her to Chesh once more. "You told me that you'd been leading tourists around before you met me," Alice said softly and Chesh shrugged.

"I am a rather effective guide, I must say so." His chains jingled as he shifted his hands behind his back. "I do so love my history, you know."

"I have never heard of people returning from the Taiga. What happened to them?" Jack demanded and Chesh gave his strange, ear-splitting grin.

"Well, it was quite a wait for young Alice to appear. One had to keep their magic up and well-stocked. Practice certainly does help," he said with a casual toss of his hand. He seemed so oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in and Alice gasped in shock when she realized what he could be implying. How many people, whether from her world or this world, had he destroyed to keep himself alive with magic? To 'practice'?

_How could he just stand there, grinning like a mad fool when he was admitting his guilt?_

Hatter finally stirred from his silence. "The White Queen likely froze you in your aging. Without her power to feed you, you started leechin' off of others."

"How well said," Chesh snarled, eyes flashing to Hatter, "coming from a man who was a leech for the majority of his depressing life."

"You were usin' her," Hatter said as if Chesh had not spoken a word, "because for all your talk that she used you, you were usin' her to get magic. To live longer than you should have. If she went into power again, you'd have a good chunk of authority likely handed to you. You might have become immortal for all we know if you succeeded. You were so certain you'd be in power."

"Which is nothing more than your family would have done," Chesh said. Hatter smirked at him.

"Nah. The difference between my family and you, cat, is that you didn't think a damn thing through." Hatter's eyes were almost black with held-in frustration and anger but his expression made Chesh look away from him all the same. The throbbing pain still in his face reminded Chesh that Hatter wasn't really to be trifled with these days. Even the curse he had cast on Hatter gave him no comfort and Chesh did not dare bring that up to risk more of the maddening pain Hatter had inflicted upon him.

"So, stands to count," Toby Mouse said, counting on his fingers. "Treason, murder, more treason, more murder. Much more murder? Ghastly details and all would be wonderful."

"I hate blood...but don't forget his lyin'," Dormie added. Dodo grunted in disgust and put his head in his hands, shaking it.

"Why me?" he asked lowly. Jack looked at them all, his eyes like ice.

"You four are just here to witness, need I remind you?" he ordered and they all clammed up immediately. Only the Cook met his eyes and it was Jack who looked away, knowing that of all of them, she was likeliest to know firsthand of what Chesh had done.

Alice stared at Chesh, her eyes bleak. "How could you do this?"

His cat-green gaze swung to her, his eyes narrow. "I am what I am, Alice. You would pardon Crows so easily, but not me."

"They were trapped by the first Alice's deception. You entered it willingly. You wanted her to give you power as well. Whether she died or not didn't matter to you." Alice got to her feet once more, taking a deep breath to steady herself as she walked around the table next to Jack. Chesh watched her with an arched brow, clearly not intimidated.

"I am a servant to strong power, what can I say?" Chesh said lazily. "But you all have a rather interesting dilemma. Should you kill me, then the Taiga Supporters who live may still care to try to dispose your Heart here will see it as an opportunity to martyr the Taiga Royalty further. Should you let me live, banished or in the Lake Prison, his Majesty is considered weak. What a dilemma!"

He laughed then in pure delight and Jack looked over at Amelia. She stared back at him, having no answer for him even with all of her political teaching and scheming. But Alice stood still, staring at Chesh. She knew what she had to do, knew that she had to summon the strength to do it and she wondered at the change in herself. Weeks ago she would have never thought to do something like this, weeks ago she thought that when she came to Wonderland she was nothing more than a lost woman trying to find her way.

Now that she had found her way and found the unbelievable path it led down, Alice was more determined to not let Chesh ruin more lives with his devious planning.

"You're wrong. There's a third option."

He tipped his head. "I am simply dying of curiosity," he drawled sarcastically and Alice shook her head. She was not about to be baited by him this time.

"I was hoping you would say that," Alice whispered.

"You aren't about to suggest I be rehabilitated, are you?" Chesh asked. "What a delightfully human idea!"

"I was told that the Cheshires used to be magical, that their district was destroyed," Alice started and his eyes darted over her, trying to guess where this was going. "It makes punishing you tricky. Jack can't do this, because his options are limited by politics and a lack of that strange Taiga magic the others had, but my option is still there. The White Queen told me of how it was an Oyster's power to change Wonderland as she first did the first time she came here. She was wrong. It isn't her right to change people's lives but you...you do deserve something to reward you for your attempt."

"What of that old myth? I had to listen to her rhetoric so often I know it by heart, if you would like the full version," Chesh drawled, his tone bored. Alice turned to the table and unwrapped the parcel that a Club had set by their tea tray. When the silk was lifted away, the Sceptre shone gold and blue in the light and Chesh's eyes widened at the sight of it. He backed up a step only to feel a Suit pushing back on him, a baton firmly pressed against his spine in warning. "What are you doing?"

Alice met his eyes. "Sending you into exile but not the kind you want. But the kind that you deserve for being a pet to the Taiga Royals."

What he read in her eyes made Chesh realize how serious she was. His mind raced to conclusions and he swallowed, a flash of fear in his eyes before he squared up his shoulders. Managing a dismissive snort, he rolled his eyes and tried to look relaxed when Alice stood before him.

"You...you don't have the power to do that," Chesh answered and Alice shrugged.

"Maybe...but you did kill my friend, let the White Queen try to destroy the rest of us and my emotions are rather high right now," she answered, her voice thick with suppressed anger. "I think you should be just what Hatter accused you of being from the very beginning. Except...trapped and unable to use your power, a shell of what you were. A servant to royalty still."

As she spoke, Alice turned the Stone of Wonderland into its place within the Sceptre's shaft. It clicked and immediately the sapphires began to glow blue. Chesh stared at it, unable to move with his power so zapped from his battle with Hatter before. Without the White Queen to give him power, he was useless and he stared helplessly down the shaft when Alice pointed it at him. Her blue eyes locked with his and he saw the focus in them. Around them, the others were staring with both awe and fear.

"Alice, you don't realize what you are doing!" he insisted just as the light swarmed around him. Chesh wanted to barter with her when he realized what she was going to do, wanted to suggest another option. Time in prison, exile, anything other than what she had planned. He threw up his hands to shield his face and, staring at him with a mixture of pity and determination, Alice shook her head.

"Sadly, I do, Chesh. I do," she answered as the power surged out of the Sceptre and snapped him into the air. As they all watched, his body twisted in the air, changing so quickly it was almost too fast for them to see through the blue light that shone. Alice stared, focussing on what she wanted and thought was right, remembering the poor Knave and the pain her friends had experienced. His body seemed to evaporate into the air, a flash of light crackling out from him to arch through the air and race about the room before slamming back into the clothing he had worn. The clothes twisted into the air again before they fell uselessly to the ground, leaving only a lump in the middle that quivered furiously. When the light faded, Alice lowered the Sceptre and stepped forward, reaching into the pile of clothing with her free hand. Gingerly, she fished out a furious and spitting tabby cat, holding it by the back of its neck. It was yowling in pure anger, the sound an animal would make when faced with death, but when Alice met its eyes she saw Chesh clearly there.

The cat-green eyes shone with fury, realizing how devastating the punishment she had given him would be. Never able to speak, never to use his magic, never to regain what he had lost. No Oyster would likely release him and the one who stood before him would never do so either. He was trapped in a form that he would grow to hate. The only punishment that Alice had thought would serve him well.

Jack stepped forward, recovering from his shock to stare at the spitting tabby cat. Alice still held the cat away from her as it swatted furiously at them both, her fingers tight on the scruff of his neck. Her eyes met Jack's and she gave him a wane smile, narrowly dodging the sharp claws that aimed at her neck. "I believe that the Palace needed a mouse catcher."

Jack gave her a look before he nodded to one of the Suits, not able to find his voice quite yet. The man gave him a nervous look, picking up Chesh's discarded clothing. He tied the legs of the pants together to close them and held open the waistband for Alice.

"Sire?" he asked as Alice quickly put Chesh in the makeshift sack. The cat dropped it, still yowling as fiercely as before. The Suit knotted the waistband closed and held the sack away from himself as the cat began to move frantically within it.

"Collar him and put him on a lead. He can be a Royal...pet, since that is what he was so good at in the past. Tie him in the kitchens to fend off the mice for now," Jack said, understanding why Alice had done it but still baffled that she **had** done it. The Suit gave him a nod and quickly backed away, holding the sack at arms length as he went back to the front door. Looking away from him, Jack's eyes went over Alice quickly and saw the way she was trembling. The Sceptre was held loosely at her side and she was shaking her head, her eyes blinking furiously. "Alice?" Jack whispered.

Alice stopped trembling long enough to swallow the lump she had felt growing in her throat. "I'm fine, Jack. It's just...how many weeks ago was it that I was in a dojo giving lessons? Now I just turned a man into a cat to punish him." Alice tilted her head to look up at him. "It's kind of surreal, isn't it?"

Jack smiled kindly. "I have to agree with you." He looked at the small jury and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Excuse me for just a moment."

"Sure," Alice said, dropping her eyes to stare at the Sceptre still glowing in her hand. Jack moved over to Dodo, his tone tense and clipped. Dodo was still staring at Alice, as was Dormie and the ferryman, but the Cook was merely looking content, toying with her pepper shaker on its string. Alice felt none of their eyes though, her fingers sliding over the ridges of the Sceptre in a gentle caress. The gold was still warm to her touch and when her fingers went close to the sapphires it was like touching a hummingbird in the way the Sceptre vibrated.

Alice still felt the power surging through the Sceptre and understood why the White Queen had been so easily tempted by it. The power to change things was tempting, that absolute power that could...that could do anything. Years of living feeling trapped and needing to be in control tugged at Alice's memory, pulling on her to look at the Sceptre and wonder what it would be like. Just for a little while... Licking her lips, she lifted her eyes and met Hatter's wary gaze across the table. She could almost read his thoughts at just his expression and Alice almost dropped the Sceptre as if it had burned her. Hatter's expression had snapped her out of her momentary lapse and she trembled, realizing what it would have been like to be the White Queen. Before she could change her mind, Alice yanked out the Stone of Wonderland from its holder and set it down on the table beside the Sceptre. When her fingers left it, the Sceptre turned back into a small iron bar, plain and rusty black. Charlie came to stand beside her, but the others where still crowding around the other table to talk to one another. From what she could hear, Jack was making his wishes very clear to the obstinate Dodo.

"What is to be done with it?" Charlie asked and Alice shook her head, her attention back to the Sceptre again. Her eyes went to Hatter and she tipped her head on the side. He stared back at her, eyes going over her face.

"What?" he asked hoarsely and she gave him a small smile.

"Your father hid it the first time. I think you should as well," she said and Hatter's hand shook as he reached out and touched the iron bar. Alice put her hand on top of his. He met her eyes and she smiled at him, her thumb rubbing a small circle on his hand. "I trust you, Hatter. I know you'll never let it be found out."

He nodded and Charlie turned away from the scene, for once not being obtuse about the sudden intimacy between them. Hatter's eyes darted to Charlie's turned back and then to Alice, his lips pursed in thought. For a moment, she thought he was going to say no to hiding the Sceptre. Then he nodded, scratching at the back of his neck as he stood. His eyes darted along the table from left to right, his fingers tracing an imaginary map onto the table before he clapped his hand onto the table as if making up his mind. As Alice watched, he picked up the iron bar and wrapped it once more.

"Not a problem. Know just the place, or places. Just need to secure its transport." He beamed at her but there was a falseness to his smile that made Alice blink. "Tell the others I'll be back soon," he ordered. Before Alice could respond he was gone through the rear doors, shutting the doors with a firm click that made it very clear that he did not want to be followed by anyone. She stood watching the doors for a moment, wondering what he was up to. Glancing at Charlie, she saw that he was giving the doors a puzzled look as well.

Catching her looking at him, Charlie gave her a smile. "I am quite certain that the Harbinger knows what he is doing, Justalice."

* * *

With little else to do but wait for Hatter, Alice elected to return to the Palace with Charlie, the Cook, Jack and Amelia, for once feeling like the fifth wheel in their strange group. But she hadn't wanted to be alone in the Tea Shop with only Dormie for company and whoever chose to come help Hatter with straightening out his shop once again. Her decision to go back to the Palace didn't improve her mood either, her lack of company wearing on her nerves. Alice hadn't realized how accustomed she had become to having people around her after the long days spent travelling in the company of others. Jack had claimed business matters, Charlie and the Cook disappeared to wander the kitchens, and Amelia had retired to her rooms to sleep. Though from the look in her eyes, sleep was the furthest thing from her wishes and she was going to just be alone.

Alice had been left to wander alone through the halls of the Palace. It was so different now, seeing it in strong sunlight and free from the dark magic that had once plagued it. It was, strangely enough, like walking through a modern art gallery in Alice's world, the painting stark but rather harmoniously blended together from white to either a deep maroon or blue. The artwork was just as varied and now that she had time to simply stroll, Alice had to admire the differences in all of them.

It was easy to lose track of time, considering the immenseness of the entire Palace and Alice only paused long enough to give her aching feet a rest. Absurd as it was, she had been thankful that Jack had salvaged her favourite boots from being tossed out by the medical staff and though the clothing she was wearing was rather foreign and even more bohemian than she was used to, the boots made her feel more comfortable. Alice tossed her hair out of her eyes as she rose on her tip-toes to look more closely at one of the paintings of Jack's ancestors. Funny, they all had that incredibly stern look mixed with the sort of icy coolness that had at first surprised her about Jack.

"There you are!"

Alice jumped at the Duchess's voice in the quiet hallway. The woman was walking toward her in a click-clack of high heels, striding with a confidence and easy air that Alice envied. If it hadn't been for the other woman's rather bruised face, Alice might have thought they were back weeks ago when the statuesque touch intimidated her. This time, however, Amelia had a genuine smile on her face, though it still had the somewhat trapped air of someone unsure of how they should act.

"Jack was wondering where you were," Amelia said as she came to a stop beside Alice.

"I was just looking through the halls. Had nothing else to do," Alice answered. Amelia looked up at the painting of Jack's grandmother and gave a shiver.

"There is something rather off-putting about looking at dead relatives, isn't there?" she asked casually.

"I have expect them to yell 'off with their head' at any moment," Alice said. Amelia gave a half smile and shrugged.

"Well, they were rather savage from what I hear. All of them were very into executions as ways of setting examples. My family only came to the Royal Court after all the wars settled down, mostly to get me into a position of influence and an education in the Courts," she explained and her face hardened slightly. Alice felt a sudden sympathy for the other woman when she realized that, like Jack, Amelia had had no childhood experience that had not stressed the proper way to act. As sensuous and experienced as the Duchess appeared, Alice guessed that the woman was more unsure about her life than she acted.

Alice made to give some comforting words that she wasn't sure she herself believed in, but was saved by it by the sound of someone else approaching. Jack, trailed distantly by several Suits, walked through the hall with quick efficiency toward them. He was slowly regaining his confidence in his kingship and he seemed more content with it now.

"So you did find her," Jack said, eyes going to Amelia. She nodded, not looking at him but at the painting still. Sighing, he looked over at Alice.

"I was just wandering around. It's different to see this place in broad daylight, you know," Alice informed him. Jack arched a brow.

"I suppose so," he allowed before he cleared his throat and tilted his head on the side to look at her.

"You were looking for me?" Alice asked, trying to prompt him on.

"Alice," Jack said, "why are you still here?"

She blinked at the unexpected question. "Well, with the Looking Glass still..."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Jack said. "Why are you still in the Palace?"

"I was just..." she started.

"Go back to the Tea Shop, Alice. Make sure Hatter is all right and that he's disposed of the Sceptre. I'm certain that that is really where you want to be. You don't owe me anything to have to come back here," he said kindly. His eyes went to Amelia quickly. "Besides which, the Duchess and I have some things to discuss."

Alice and Amelia both looked at one another in surprise. Alice looked at Jack again and saw that under his cool expression was a man who was a nervous wreck. It was almost like seeing a younger man anxious about a first date. Apparently whatever he wanted to 'discuss' with the Duchess was very important to him. Shrugging, Alice gave him a nod and ran her eyes over the hall.

"Should I take Charlie with me?"

"Ah, well. He's currently in my kitchen with the Cook, who is doing her overbearingly best to cause all of my resident chefs to quit due to stress. Hopefully, she doesn't scare more of them off before she goes back home," Jack said dryly. Amelia frowned at him.

"Is she going back?"

Jack shrugged. "That all depends on what happens between her and Charlie. I am giving them both free choice in what they want to do. I offered Charlie, once more, the choice to have some repairs done to his home in the Kingdom of Knights or even for him to build a new home, but he has not answered me about it."

Alice noticed he was looking at her intently again and sighed, knowing what he wanted. "I can take the hint, Jack. I'll go see how Hatter is. You'll be letting us know when the Looking Glass is working once more?"

Suddenly, Jack seemed uncomfortable. "Of course, Alice. I'll send word to you at the Tea Shop."

It wasn't until much later that Alice what Jack had really wanted to say, what he had been hiding.


	45. Proper Etiquette

Alice was quick to learn that it didn't matter how many times you helped saved Wonderland or who you knew in Wonderland: there were always certain people that had their opinions about you and were not about to change them. The Flower Girls were one group of them and these dainty serving girls were being deliberately vague about where Hatter was. They had been captured along with Dormie in the first invasion of the Red King and while they had all been left alone in their cells, they were still sullen about it. That and they clearly had a certain possessiveness when it came to Hatter. Alice wasted time asking two smaller women about him and they both ignored her, still sweeping up some of the shattered glass that still littered the floor of the Tea Shop. Sighing in exasperation, she turned and immediately came toe to toe with a tall voluptuous red-head who wore rose floral prints on every article of her overly tight and skimpy clothing.

The taller woman eyed Alice and sniffed. "Aren't you that Oyster the boss had with him when he came back?"

"Yes. My name is Alice," Alice answered, holding out her hand, "Your name is Rose, isn't it?" The woman took her hand and shook it gingerly, as if she expected Alice to leave a stain on her flawless skin.

"Oh, that's right," Rose answered, her eyes widening a bit. "Alice is your name. I'm so sorry, my dear, but normally someone has to make an impression before I remember their name."

Alice figured out quickly what kind of woman she was dealing with. The kind that made backhanded insults while all the time spouting sweetness and sugar. "That's right. Alice Hamilton."

"You were looking for the boss?"

"Hatter said he'd be coming back here, yes," Alice said, treading carefully. She didn't know exactly what Hatter thought of these girls and while normally the look of this lush creature would have made her jealous, she wasn't. She was more...amused than anything else. She had a certain confidence in herself and she had no doubt that Hatter had little interest in his Flowers.

"Haven't seen him. None of us have."

"Right," Alice said, pursing her lips. "That's funny. I know he wouldn't leave here."

They stood in silence for a moment, Alice not willing to leave and Rose not inclined to be polite and helpful. The Flower sniffed impatiently, adjusting the hem of her mini-skirt before staring down at Alice. She had never liked the idea of an Oyster being involved with her boss and it had been clear that Hatter was definitely ensnared by this brunette. Perhaps she could just coerce her to go back to the place she had come from and leave the Shop before the boss showed up.

"Shouldn't you be back at the Palace?" Rose asked her, arching a red brow curiously at her. "I had thought you were a guest of the King."

"I was. But I came here with Hatter. I was hoping to find a bit more help. I'm worried about him," Alice said and Rose sniffed.

"Mm, well, we are helpful. When it is worth helping someone," she said.

"I'm just looking for Hatter," Alice repeated. Why the girls were all so defensive and why they were all being so vague was beyond her.

"Dormouse might have seen him. But even so, the boss is very busy. If you want, I could just take a message for you and give it to him."

Alice smiled. "This is really one I want to give to him personally."

"Oh," Rose said, lacking anything else to say as her cheeks went red. Alice had a vicious moment where she debated on elaborating more, just to see how red the other woman could go, but she remembered she was trying to be nice. When she glanced at the other girls and saw that they were trying not to be obvious about their eavesdropping, she gave up. Realizing she was not about to get any help from these silly creatures, Alice turned before Rose could think of anything to say and walked over to Dormie's desk.

The small man was huddled up, his face pressed half into his collar as he snored. He was awkwardly braced in his chair, his breath fluttering his moustache this way and that. Alice tapped her fingers on the desk and she saw his eyebrow lift, though his eyes didn't open. He simply snored and snored, sounding like a table-saw with the way he rattled on. Clearing her throat, she leaned across the desk.

"Dormie?" she asked lowly and he kept snoring. Alice ground her teeth together and slammed her palm flat onto the desk with a bang. " **Dormie**!"

"Huzz-ah-wha?" the Dormouse jumped in his seat and promptly toppled off of it. He was back in his chair in an instant, looking harassed and worried. "I swear, boss, the treacle is..."

His eyes opened all the way and he looked at Alice. "Oh. It's you."

"It's me," Alice agreed grimly. "Where's Hatter?"

Dormie gave a snarky grin. "Flowers wouldn't tell you eh?"

"I'm not in the mood right now, Dormie," Alice growled and Dormie put his hands in the air, his suit coat so massive that his sleeves flapped like wings in the air.

"No no, I'm just sayin'...they tend to be a bit protective. They always think Hatter is just going to fire them all again for gossiping like they do, so they worry that anyone new is out to take their jobs," Dormie explained.

"I would explain why they won't help me differently, but that works for now," Alice muttered to herself. "Where is he?"

Dormie nodded his head back at the doors. "He had me grab some papers from his private rooms. He was in there last time I saw."

Alice tried to remember how to get to Hatter's room and her confusion showed. Dormie rolled his eyes and held up four fingers. "Four knocks down on the wall. If you end up outside...and on a ledge, then you've gone too far."

"Thanks," Alice said with a smile. She paused and leaned over, giving Dormie a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you're okay, Dormie."

She left the flustered little man to himself, smiling when she heard him still gobbling away as she closed the door behind herself. The halls seemed more familiar this time and she took in a deep breath, smelling freshly cut grass and turned earth mixed with a faint scent of peppermint. It was a reassuring smell and Alice smiled, stepping away from the door and into the hallway. Going mostly from memory, Alice walked carefully over the grass that carpeted the floor, having to unstick her boots occasionally when her heels sunk into the soft soil. Knocking her hand on the wall and feeling foolish for doing it, she listened for the echoes and heard nothing but good solid thumps. Her eagerness to see Hatter had been dampened by the unexpected obstacle of finding him, especially with the attitude she had been given, and she frowned when she stumbled over another clump of grass.

Her hand thudded on the wall as she caught herself from falling and there was a hollow sound that answered it. Sighing in relief, Alice pushed on the wall and found it unlocked when it swung inward slowly. The wall opened up to reveal a doorway and Alice was delighted with herself for remembering this much. Holding onto the door, she stepped down gingerly into the dimly lit room and closed the door behind herself, flipping the lock without thinking about it. There was a light from the desk lamp glowing to one side, a bedside lamp and several overheads flicked on as well to give some light but it did little good. The overcast sky outside was making the room seem dimmer than it was and Alice scanned the room carefully.

Hatter wasn't anywhere to be seen. The rooms seemed downright depressing without him traipsing about.

Alice moved further into the room and saw that he had tossed some clothing onto the bed and there were a towel draped on the side of the bathtub as well. He'd been here doing something or other, what exactly she couldn't tell. Maybe just washing up, considering the way that there was water still dripping from the bath faucet. She walked over to the faucet and tightened it, looking around as she did so to see that his desk light was turned to properly highlight several accounting ledgers. Smiling, Alice walked over to the desk and looked at the array of papers. They were all marked up with various percentages and fractions, the math of it more complex than any accounting form Alice might have seen. He'd been busy in the brief span of time that she had been gone.

"Hatter?" Alice called out loudly. The bathroom door was shut but there was no sound from it and she sighed. Why could nothing be simple in Wonderland? "You're not playing a game I hope?"

It would be like him to play that sort of game and Alice rolled her eyes. It did give her more of a chance to look around and she turned her head to see that there was a small drawing on the corner of the desk. It framed by old wood and weathered badly but Alice handled it gently. It was a drawing of a small, finely boned woman with the same dark eyes and clever expression that Hatter had, but even in the drawing Alice could see the melancholy in her. Without needing anyone to confirm it, Alice knew that this was Hatter's mother and she looked at it for only a moment longer before setting it back in its place on his desk. She felt, strangely, like she was intruding by just touching the drawing and she flexed her fingers at her side.

Alice looked over the room carefully. "Hatter?" she called out, listening carefully. She heard nothing, not even him talking to himself. Yet Dormie had insisted that he himself had seen Hatter back here, brought him papers after all. He had to be in the room. She flicked on the lights near the tea table and saw a few papers scattered here and there, four neatly stacked tea cups at one end and there was one cup half-full near a lime green and red tea pot. Moving down the table, she put her hand on the cup and found it still warm. He must have just left before she got here.

Alice sighed and went to turn, annoyed that he had avoided her again.

With amazing stealth, a warm body pressed against hers from behind, stopping her in her spot. "You didn't knock," Hatter said against her ear, easing her shock quickly. Alice let out the breath she had sucked in and leaned back slightly so that his cheek brushed the back of her neck. Hatter was clearly waiting for her answer, she could feel it. She tried to move again but he had her trapped, his feet on either side of hers to be certain that she couldn't side step him.

"I didn't realize I had to knock," Alice said dryly when she determined that he wanted her like this for a reason.

"Mm, would be the polite thing to do. I might have been naked and showin' off the unmentionables," Hatter said as he reached around her and picked up the tea cup. Alice leaned forward enough so that she could turn her head and look at him over her shoulder. He wasn't naked at all, only shirtless, and she had to smile at the mischievous grin he was giving her over the rim of the tea cup. He sipped at his tea, giving her a devious look from his brown eyes that spoke volumes.

"That is supposed to deter me?" she asked with a grin and he shrugged as he finished his tea.

"Well, that way, if you found me naked that is, it would give you fair warning," he said honestly.

"Warning...about what?" Alice asked when she looked back forward to watch him set his tea cup on the table.

"What my intentions are. I tend to give you some hints, you know...like now," he said and slid his hand, still warm from the tea cup, around her to gently stroke between her legs. Shocked at his amazingly forward advances, Alice yelped, almost falling forward. Hatter was laughing behind her, delighted to have caught her off guard again, and his fingers danced an impatient rhythm against her. Alice recovered quickly, her breathing a bit shaking when he moved his hand, and she bumped herself back against him in retaliation, rewarded with his own yelp.

"I think I know your intentions by now," Alice said while she slid her hand backward and grabbed his hip lightly. He was wearing pants at least but he was still damp from a bath by the feel of his skin, the smell of soap and tea that came from him surprisingly seductive.

"True," Hatter answered before he nipped at the back of her neck, moving her hair out of his way with an impatient flick of his hand. "Is that such a terrible thing?"

The way he said it made her stomach flutter with both nerves and anticipation.

"No," Alice answered and had to swallow a moan as his fingers slid under the waistband of her skirt. He nuzzled at the back of her neck, his breath warm against her cool skin and Alice leaned her head back slightly. He was making her shiver whenever he licked his lips and grazed her skin with his tongue, the gentle gesture toying with her desire just as much as his hands were. Focussing on the table again, she looked at the tea cup he had set down and had an absurd thought. "Is this your way of introducing me to the end of a tea party?"

Hatter was quiet for a moment, his lips still trailing over her neck, and his other hand lifted to undo the chunky belt of her coat. "Most definitely."

"Ok," Alice said, pausing as the coat fell open to either side of her waist. "Not that I'm complaining, you know. It's just after that whole fight with the Cheshire, the White Queen...I don't want you more injured..."

He groaned in exasperation but she continued, "I think you need to rest or we might open up one of your injuries..."

"Alice?" he said with a sigh of frustration, his lips leaving the back of her neck. He made a faint sound in his throat and his hand left her coat lapels to rest on her arm.

"Yeah?"

"The most injury I think you could do me right now is flat out rejecting me which could cause quite a bit of discomfort," Hatter ground out between his teeth. Shifting his weight to the side, Hatter moved his hand to cup her breast and traced his thumb over her nipple meaningfully. It hardened underneath her shirt and she unconsciously pushed her breast into his hand to let him stroke her harder. "So stop worryin'. For just a few hours."

Alice moaned when his other fingers slid against her thigh but she nodded all the same, keeping her eyes closed tightly when she found she didn't have the strength to keep her eyes open. His thumb drew a rough circle around her nipple, her breast peaking under his ministrations and she moaned deep in her throat when he moved his hand away. His hands slid to her coat to draw it down before he threw it roughly to the floor, causing Alice to shiver at the cool air and at his warmth which she felt far more acutely now that there was another barrier removed from between them.

"It feels like forever since you touched me," she whispered.

Her words made him groan against the back of her neck, the sound desperate, and she would have laughed if only she wasn't being so honest. The fear that they may never see each other again had been so real in her mind and here he was, safe and warm against her. Touching her and showing her just how alive he was, showing her how much he wanted her, injuries and all. Reaching back, she cupped the side of his head and tugged him in closer so that she felt his scruffy cheek brush against hers.

"I missed you," he answered. "Strange, how much I missed you. Few days in a medical ward and I was going stir crazy not being able to do more than see you through a haze of drugs."

Alice smiled and tipped her head over so that she could kiss his cheek gently. When his lips met hers finally, she took it in slowly, remembering the first time they had kissed and the last time they had kissed. One innocent, one when she had thought they might die. The burning memory made her turn around in his arms and grab hold of the back of his head, pulling him tightly. He pressed against her front, his shoulders bowing as he leaned into her kiss and answered it with his own. Smiling against his lips, Alice tugged on one of his ears and pulled him in even tighter than before, so close that she felt his heart pounding against her chest. It spiralled quickly from there, Hatter's hand on her thigh and moving up to the hem of her skirt. She lifted it for him while he backed her into the table and set her down on top of it with a thud that stung her buttocks..

Alice hadn't realized that she could be just as eager as he was, that she could ignore the still sore muscles in her body in favour of holding him as close as she dared. He hadn't been wearing his shirt and she felt the gauze still wrapped around his ribs to protect the healing marks and bruises, gauze that made a crackling sound when he pressed against her. The stitches rubbed at her hands when she touched him, disturbing any gentle caress she meant to give him and making her realize how gentle she had to be. His skin slid against hers, the dampness of it making him slick and hard to keep hold of when she finally found a smooth strip of skin to touch. Lifting her head away, she broke the kiss and leaned back slightly. He had hold of her before she could move far, hand slipping the belt on her skirt free, and she quickly threw the belt off for him. Hatter was grinning as he watched her before his hand drifted back up her waist. His fingers moved nimbly over the buttons of her shirt and, knowing how likely he was to simply rip it apart, Alice quickly stripped it off to keep him from tearing the buttons in his haste. Hatter took in her near nudity quickly, rolling his eyes comically to the ceiling.

"What?" she asked, laughing at his expression.

"Just very thankful you've come around to my way of thinkin' is all," Hatter joked. At her puzzled look, he reached out and stroked from her neck to her bare breast with gentle fingers. The lack of bra clearly delighted him and Alice gave him a slow smile. The meaning was there and she pushed herself into his hand when he cupped her breast and rubbed his finger over her nipple.

"Sometimes you have good ideas," she answered and he chuckled, leaning in to kiss along the ridge of her shoulder.

"Sometimes?" he demanded, his breath warm against her skin. "Need I remind you, tea parties often are the source of my very best ideas."

Alice opened her mouth to answer when he kissed her again, taking advantage of her surprise to flick her skirt up over her hips. Alice gave up on having anything more than a brief exchange of words when he kissed her like this, his intent clear in the way he tilted her head to the left and traced his tongue over her lower lip. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and she held him closer, feeling his hands caress her breasts impatiently. Her skin prickled at his touch, sensitive enough to make her want to cry out when he teased her. When he went to lean over and pressed tighter against her, the movement caused the stitching in his side to rub abrasively against her own skin, making her shiver.

Alice felt for a moment a thread of doubt that they should be doing this but it was gone immediately when he pulled away from her. Hatter kissed her forehead gently, his hand cupping her chin. He sighed, his heart beating a slow rhythm that calmed her worry, and Alice closed her eyes. His hand dropped from her chin to grasp her wrist, the other going to her hip and before Alice could blink he had rolled her over onto her stomach. She gasped, the table cold beneath her body and she shivered when she heard the rasp and jingle of him unbuckling his trousers.

Hatter's hand slid against her back gently, travelling a now familiar path along her skin, lingering when she shivered, rubbing when she sighed. Alice leaned her forehead against the table to cool the hot flush on her face. She felt him lean forward to brush his lips over her shoulder blades, starting from where the gryphon mark trailed from beneath her ribs to where it peeked out just at the base of her neck. Moaning, she turned her head to the side and pushed herself up onto her elbows so that she could look at him. Hatter's eyes were on her pale shoulders, transfixed by the sight of the sprawling gryphon mark that now decorated her back, one hand fisted in the material of her skirt.

"Beautiful," he murmured, unable to help but say it. Once he might have thought otherwise but when the mark seemed to shimmer under his right hand, he stared like a man hypnotized. Alice pushed her hair out of her face and licked her lips. The tracing he had been doing had made her entire body throb and she seemed to glow again with her own desire.

"Hatter," Alice started but when he met her eyes with an inscrutable expression she couldn't remember what it was she had been about to say. So she simply smiled and turned her head away with a small shake. He didn't seem to mind, one hand trailing from her back to her front, trapped beneath the table for a moment as he stroked her skin. Alice moaned into her forearm and felt his other arm brush her hips as he fiddled with the soft velvet of her skirt, pushing the fabric and folding it over her waist.

His fingers slid against edge of her breast again and when she pushed herself into his hand he let her go, ignoring her faint protest while he moved his grip to pull her hips up instead. Instinctively, Alice braced herself and heard him moan as he pushed himself into her. She bit into her arm, groaning loudly before she pressed herself into the table, the friction wonderful against her sensitive breasts. Hatter groaned a nonsensical curse, his hand letting her go to slam into the table beside her head. The table vibrated beneath it, but it had been his left hand, not likely to break the table beneath them.

The absurd image that sprang to mind, of the table breaking and taking them both with it, made her chuckle and he laughed against the back of her neck as if he knew what she was thinking. It was strange to laugh when they were so caught up in their own desires but neither was able to help it and they laughed harder together. It was a relief to laugh, to find the time to let themselves go and not worry who could be ready to spring a trap on them. Then, as quickly as it had come, the laughter died in Alice's throat, instead coming out as a strangled moan when he shifted harder into her from behind as he found more stable footing, his leg nudging hers further apart to change the angle. It caused her hips to raise up at a sharper angle and Alice scratched her nails down the table when he pressed deeper inside of her, a faint hiccup of a cry coming from her mouth.

"You know," he whispered, pausing to swallow the lump in his throat, "I still love that sound, luv." His words were warm against her ear and she shivered at the feel of his breath. Reaching out, she fisted her hand tightly into the table cloth and shut her eyes again while she pushed her hips up at him impatiently. She was lost for a moment as she felt him shift harder against her, unable to speak when she felt him moving inside of her. She was just listening to the sound of his breathing in her ear and smiling whenever he gave a faint moan or muttered something against her skin that she couldn't understand. Even when she moaned and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, she was still aware of the fact that he seemed as lost in this as she was.

There was the sound of a tea cup crashing to the ground and she heard Hatter mutter about antiques. There was another crash as the tea pot and four other tea cups joined the first onto the floor, followed by more of Hatter's muttered curses. Unable to stop herself, Alice just barely managed to stifle a giggle but he felt it through her body. He simply shook his head and tried hard to ignore how her hips were wriggling in such a distracting way. As if he were trying to punish her, he slid one hand around her hips and gently circled her clit with his thumb. The laughter died in her throat and she jerked in surprise, pulling him forward with her on the table while her body gave a spasm that made her cry out loudly. He groaned in her ear, whispering to her how wonderful she felt and how he didn't want to stop touching her. The whispers made her tremble and Alice tried to regain her self-control.

Clenching her fingers tighter around the table cloth, Alice opened her eyes and stared at her outstretched hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just see Hatter's right hand near her own arms and for some reason a shiver went through her body that went straight to her toes and back up again. Pressing her cheek to the table, she licked her lips and felt the haze of desire drowning her senses. Reaching out, she twisted herself slightly and stroked her fingers down his right arm as far as she could reach. His fingers splayed out at her touch and the impromptu caress made him shiver.

She could feel his weight on her back, felt his mouth gentle and insistent on the back of her neck, felt the way his body moved strongly into hers, but she could barely move away from him as they both struggled for grip on the table. Every time they would find the proper way to keep the perfect position on the table, one of them would move differently and cause the other to lose their control. His thrusts were disjointed as he skidded on the table with her and she could feel him laughing in between the groaning. Alice herself was starting to giggle, an absurd thing when she was feeling like she was ready to fall into her own climax.

His hand suddenly lifted and grabbed the edge of the table near her head and he shoved harder against her, the action sending her body sliding across the table with increased friction that gave her a painful sort of pleasure. Knowing how close she was, Hatter dropped his hand between her legs again and swirled his thumb across her clit in an impatient circle. Alice was gone then, her mind almost lost as she felt the hot haze suffocate her once more and the spasms that rippled through her body caused her entire body to tighten and release. She gripped the table with her nails, scoring the surface slightly when she came, and she cried out, the sound muffled by her arms. She pressed her face into the table as she sobbed at the relief she felt, feeling his arms bracket around her body to hold her close as his own thrusts became harder and harder. He was just sheer moments behind her, his deep groan vibrating from his chest and into her body. His hips rolled into hers with decreasing speed before he lay on top of her, his face pressed against her shoulder.

He almost sounded like a cat purring in her ear when he managed to lift his head and Alice cleared her own throat.

"I missed you too," she whispered and out of the corner of her eye she saw him smile.

* * *

Hatter ruffled his hair as he came out of the tiny kitchenette, yawning and trying to keep awake as he balanced a cup of tea with his other hand. Grabbing his desk chair, he wheeled it as quietly as he could next to his bed. Alice was still sound asleep, tucked up into a tiny ball on one side of the bed, and she hadn't even woken when he had run his bath again for a quick soak. The hot water had relieved the ache in his muscles, the ache now a mixture of his wounds and their rough lovemaking. The warmth of his bath had also done nothing to help him rest, even with Alice sleeping so quietly in his bed. He glanced over at her, debating on going back into bed and trying once more. Knowing he might wake her again kept him from it, and he forced himself to keep away.

Chesh's words were far more pressing.

Hatter dropped into his chair beside the bed and blew on the hot tea before sipping at it. Tea would have relaxed him weeks ago; now it did nothing but fill his almost empty stomach. He hadn't rested much, not when he was in Jack's comfortable palace, nor when drugged to ease his pain, memory of what had happened plaguing him. The nightmares he had had rivalled those in his madness and he had rejected the drugs that had been given him in favour of occupying himself. His mindless chattering had driven the physicians insane, especially when he had lingered over Alice when she slept so soundly. They had finally let him go to wander the Palace with a warning not to open his stitches and Hatter learned that even in a building as immense as Jack's ancestral home he could be more than a little bored. Of all the things to do, he had found himself going to Jack to try to escape his boredom. The young King had been just as concerned about Amelia, who had done the same thing as Hatter in rejecting her medication.

Weeks ago, he would have never thought to speak to Jack about anything, save for a few sarcastic quips. Now they were stuck in their love for two very different women, both with their own problems: Jack with the problem of Amelia's fear, Hatter with the problem of a curse he wasn't certain he believed in. He had not intended on confiding in Jack but it had come out in his usual fashion of talking too much, and a strange relief had filled him when he spoke of it. Jack had not shown such disbelief, his own ideas about magic and the history of Wonderland shaken by their adventure. He had spoken coldly but with a bluntness that had been needed for Hatter to take it seriously. While Jack had offered to help, there was little he could do until either of them knew if the curse was real. Alice's changing of Chesh had given them little to work with and Hatter had spent the time he'd been given hiding the Sceptre and scrounging the books of the Great Library.

Nothing. Not a hint that curses from Cheshires actually had weight.

Hatter rubbed his hand over his face, slouching low in the chair as he rested his feet on the bed. He still stared at Alice, watching the way she'd occasionally murmur and hug the pillow tighter against her chest. She was dreaming, he could tell by the way her eyes fluttered even though they were closed, and still he watched, not daring to move. It was a novelty to watch her sleep and he enjoyed it, though now he found himself running his eyes over the familiar terrain of her face and body.

Memorizing her and savouring the sight of her in his bed.

He was about to get up when he heard a faint murmur louder than the others and saw Alice twisting over onto her back. Hatter stared at her, seeing the way her skin seemed to glow a bit in the muted light. She turned her head from side to side slowly, still talking in her sleep. Her eyes were fluttering beneath her eyelids, her brow furrowed deeply as if her dreams were disturbing her. He glanced over at his desk, at the pile of books he had smuggled out of the Library, books that lay open to pages he had to read, and then he looked back at Alice, dreaming in his bed.

Setting his cup on the chair, Hatter slid back beneath the sheets beside her and sat against the headboard, pulling her close. She resisted for a moment until he positioned her just so against him, pulling her arms across his waist so that she would be more comfortable. Alice settled against his chest, the dream fading as he held her. For the first time in days, Hatter let his mind wander away from the curse and his own eyes drooped slowly.

* * *

Hatter had promised Alice that she would have a bit of a vacation when she came back to Wonderland and when she woke up he made it very clear he expected her to have a vacation. He had to work, he explained, but there was no reason why she shouldn't see more of his home. Though Alice would have preferred to be with Hatter and she let him know it, he was rather resolute that he had to get this work done. He tried hard to usher her out in the morning, saying she had so much to see but Alice dragged her feet, more content to watch him work. Or try to.

"I've got papers to push, things to restock. Ten ounces of tea says that my door will be flooded by tea junkies on the second Tuesday this week," he said with his back to her as he stared stubbornly at his chalkboard. There were stacks of files and books surrounding his feet and Alice had spent half an hour just watching him pour over the books and write various formulas onto the chalkboard.

"I know," she said as she slid her feet into her boots. "I just thought you'd have far better stories than... who is showing me around again?"

Hatter didn't look at her, doing sums on the chalkboard rapidly. "Toby's grandson. The boy is still on medical watch from Jack's doctors, but he needed something to do."

"As long as it isn't one of the Flowers you hired," Alice muttered but he heard that, his head tipping on the side as he subtracted ten from eight.

"You don't like them?"

"I wouldn't mind them if they liked me," Alice pointed out. "But they seem to think I'm stealing you away from them."

Hatter grinned at the chalkboard. "Aren't you?"

"Hatter," she warned.

"Not that I'm complainin', luv. But there is enough of me to share you know," he teased. Alice was strangely quiet and he wondered for a moment if she wouldn't take that as a joke. When her hand suddenly wrapped around his elbow and turned him forcibly around, he actually feared that she thought he was serious. She backed him into the chalkboard, ignoring his protest that he'd get chalk on his shirt.

"I don't like to share some things, Hatter," Alice said and he stared into her eyes. She was trying so hard to be serious. Alice leaned in close and brushed her lips against his, her fingers leaving his arm to trail over his chest. "For example, I don't like to share ice cream...anything chocolate...so why would I want to share you?"

Hatter swallowed, the sound loud in the silence between them as he stared at her like with wide wary eyes. Alice's fingers nimbly popped the buttons on his shirt free and she bent her head to lick at his collarbone. She sucked hard at the skin there, marking him with a red bruise by the time she moved her head. Hatter clenched the chalk in his hand, his body thudding heavily back against the chalkboard when she swirled her tongue over one of his nipples. His head dropped back with a bang and Alice slid lower, nipping at his skin as she went. Avoiding the stitches, she licked a wet trail along his stomach before blowing warm air across it and her breath made his skin prickle.

"I..." Hatter started when he felt her fingers on his belt buckle. He licked his dry lips and looked down at her. She stared back at him, fingers tracing his waistband. Hatter nodded rapidly. "I definitely agree. Sharing is overrated. Damn those school lessons. You have my agreement that some things should never be shared."

Alice grinned at him, the smile twisting his stomach into knots and he put his head back against the chalkboard. No longer caring that chalk dust was getting into his hair and onto his clothing, he crushed the chalk in his hand when she unzipped him with painstaking slowness. There was absolutely no way in Wonderland he was going to get his work done and there was absolutely no way he was going to stop her from distracting him.

* * *

It followed a strange pattern after that, the week stretching slowly. Every day Hatter would insist that Alice go out early to try to see more of Wonderland and every day Alice would think of some inventive way to make it so that neither of them did anything until midday. It was a twist in their relationship, her seduction of him, but it was one that he enjoyed, though each time he'd try to hold off as best he could. It didn't take too much for her to seduce him. One time it had just been her sitting across from him at his desk, slowly, every so slowly, pulling on a pair of his socks. Hatter had never been seduced by his own socks before but watching her slowly roll them up her legs to her knees had done him in. His poor desk had to be repaired after that.

There was barely a room in his private apartments that he could look at and not think sex now. There was not really any furniture that he owned where he could look at it and not think 'sex'. It was a rather interesting way of testing out weight limits on some of his more antique pieces. Not that he was innocent at all. When she came back from her treks around Wonderland, he was usually lying in wait for her. The first few times he had barely waited for her to get through the door. But towards the end of the week he was more subtle, pretending domestic blandness so that it put her off a bit.

It was a change in their relationship, this living together without others around. Sex, as ever, was the added benefit to being in each other's company without anyone to interrupt them but so was the occasional spat. They fought about inane things, like his habit of leaving the dishes stacked impossibly high or leaving his clothing in the oven to 'keep them toasty' ; or her bad habit of leaving her boots where he could fall over them. The fights were normally explosive but rarely serious, and much of the time Alice thought that Hatter was picking the fights just to see how much it took to make her angry. They made up just as quickly, adjusting to each other's quirks with the resigned air of a couple who had been together for longer than they actually had been.

Alice had never had a relationship progress so quickly and so easily. For once, Hatter did tell her something of his parents. That his affection for his father was clearly dampened by Hatter's memories of his father's aloofness was clear, but he had fond memories of his grandfather. Though the old Mad Hatter was, as Hatter explained, so off his rocker that he could terrify you in one breath and make you howl with laughter in the next. Yet, of all his family members, Hatter barely remembered his mother. What he did remember of her and the clear love he had for those memories made Alice realize how lucky she was to have her own mother. Her mother had become two parents for her and this was the longest Alice had ever been separated from her. She missed her, felt homesick just a touch, and she kept that from Hatter as best as she could.

The only thing Hatter kept from her was that he barely slept. He'd stay in bed until she slept but then he was up and pacing, reading history books and trying to calculate if Chesh's curse had merit. He would pace and pace, up and down the grass corridor or in his Tea Shop when it was empty, always trying to exhaust himself until he could sleep. He wore a good chunk out of the grass corridor for his trouble and his feet always ached from it, but still he paced. It worked to a certain degree and he always remembered to go back to bed beside Alice. He would sleep a few hours before dreams of his father chastising him for keeping secrets and over-thinking would snap him out of sleep.

The day that Jack sent them word that the Looking Glass was once again safely operating, he didn't sleep at all.

* * *

On the second Tuesday in the week, Hatter had finished his nightly ritual of pacing himself to exhaustion and was just nodding off when Alice stirred against him in the bed. He had pulled her into his arms, using her as a talisman against his bad dreams, and he felt the moment she woke up. Adjusting his grip on her waist, he sat up in bed against the headboard to look down at her. Groggily, she yawned and stretched herself out, her toes wiggling against his leg.

"What time is it?" she whispered and he glanced over at the window.

"Must be just after two in the morning," he answered. Alice was quiet for a moment, lying her head on his shoulder and tracing his chest with her fingertips. Hatter felt lulled by her touch, his eyes drooping and he shifted his weight on the bed. He was ready to fall asleep when she sighed. His eyes popped open at the sound and he looked down at the top of her head. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Alice paused and lifted her head from his chest to look at him. "I think it's time to go home."

He sucked in his breath sharply. "Holiday isn't..."

"No, Hatter, I do find Wonderland fascinating and Mouse is a wonderful little guide but..." She sighed. "I need to see my Mom, to make sure she is okay. I guess I'm a bit homesick. I've never been away from her this long. Which likely sounds childish and makes me seem like a complete idiot but..."

Hatter shook his head. "No. It makes sense, Alice. I know what you mean."

"Do you mind getting hold of Jack? Then we can go and see my world, make sure it hasn't exploded without us," Alice joked but the smile he gave her was tight.

"I'll talk to him in the morning, " he offered. Alice smiled at him before rolling over onto her other side, content at the prospect of seeing her world again and finding it easier to fall asleep this time. Hatter rolled to his side as well, not to pull her into his arms but to stare at her back. The gryphon mark on her back shimmered in the dim light of the room and he wondered again why he hadn't found the courage to talk about this with Alice.

But he knew the reason. He didn't want Alice to believe in the curse, and he certainly did not want her to throw everything away to live with him here. Wonderland was not her home and she had family in her world. Hatter had grown up without one and he did not want to wish that on her. She would willingly give it up to stay with him, he knew that, but he wouldn't let her make that choice if he could help it. He did not want her to grow to resent him and if that happened he did not want the day to come when she would just leave him bitter and alone. Which, in his experience, was inevitable. Oysters did not stay in Wonderland willingly or without changing. He didn't want Alice to change for him.

Having her for this week had stocked up enough memories to last him if this curse was real and Hatter rolled onto his side away from her, for the first time not pulling her into his arms to sleep through the night. As empty and bereft as it made his arms feel, he forced himself to stay turned away from Alice. He didn't want to wake her up again and he clenched his right hand into a fist on the bedcovers. He lay awake, staring at the walls and wondering if the curse was real, wondering if even if he did let Alice go whether it would plunge him into madness. Without her, he wasn't certain he had anything to stay sane for.

Chesh's curse had a double-edged sword to it.


	46. A Bitter Pill

The front door to Carol Hamilton's loft banged open like a gunshot, causing her to jump and wield the frying pan she had been cleaning like a weapon. Testing the weight of the cast-iron pan, she tried hard to remember what Alice had taught her about self-defence. She doubted she looked intimidating. Somehow a woman wielding a frying pan tended to border on the ridiculous when it came to threats.

It had been strange, having this week to herself with her daughter off with her boyfriend, and she was still not used to the idea of living by herself. She had always known that there would be a day when Alice would find someone she trusted enough to go away with, eventually live with even, but secretly she had hoped that day was a long way off. It had led her to having nostalgic moments: looking in on Alice's rooms, tiding up her desk, making certain everything was ready for her to come home. As depressing as it was, Carol had spent most of the nights alone going through her old photo albums, realizing that her daughter was grown up and obviously falling in love with a man she trusted. Seeing the change in those photos did her heart good, as did seeing the change from David's entrance into her daughter's life evident in the photo she had taken of Alice on a whim a few weeks ago.

But hearing someone coming slamming into her apartment made her instantly wish for her daughter to be there, or at the very least, it made her wish that she could remember any thing about judo.

She was ready to dial the police when she heard the door click quietly shut and the sound of keys being thrown into the bowl on the coffee table. Carol frowned before putting her phone down on the kitchen counter along with the frying pan, and she moved quietly toward the living room. Peering around the corner, she saw Alice standing in the living room, looking lost in thought as she stared at the massive mirror that Carol had insisted on buying months ago. She was dressed as if she had been in a rush and looked incredibly rumpled.

"Alice!" Carol exclaimed, whipping off her soapy rubber gloves before she almost flew to her daughter. She wrapped Alice in her arms, hugging her tightly in her excitement. "I didn't know your flight was coming in or I would have been at the airport to meet you! How was the grey fog of London?"

Alice hugged her back but with rather limp arms. The lukewarm embrace had the same emotion of someone giving perfunctory affection, not at all like Alice's usual show of affection to her only parent. "Hi, Mom."

Carol pulled away and smoothed Alice's hair away from her eyes, taking in the woeful expression on her daughter's face. While she would have normally chalked up her daughter's tired face and bloodshot eyes to jet lag, she had seen this look before. Several times and all of those times had been the result of something very bad. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing important. I think I'm just tired," Alice answered, and her mother noted that the curtness in her voice was strange for her normally lively daughter.

"Alice," Carol warned. "I know you. You didn't call once while you were in England and you were so excited about going. Normally you'd be all bright-eyed about it, talking your head off about this or that. I expected calls at two in the morning, even a few long-winded emails."

"I was busy and now I'm tired," Alice insisted but Carol shook her head. She had the sneaking suspicion that Alice's problem had nothing to do with England and everything to do with someone in particular.

"Alice, where's David?" she asked, glancing over Alice's shoulder. She half-expected to see him coming in carrying a bag or some strange knick-knack that he would be proud of.

"David?" Alice parroted, blinking her blue eyes as if hearing his name for the first time.

"David Hatter? The rather chatty young man you practically devoured in front of me as a way of saying 'hello, thank you for finding me unconscious in a construction site'? The man who took you on a holiday, the first vacation you've ever gone on with a boyfriend?" her mother ribbed playfully. But Alice didn't smile, not even a hint of amusement going to her eyes. Carol's concern grew as she stared at her.

"Mom, I need to lay down. I've had a migraine for the past hour and it isn't getting any better. Can we talk about this in a few hours? Please?" Alice asked, her voice trembling. The unusual note of desperation in Alice's voice made Carol blink and back off on her questions, motherly instinct rearing its head in warning.

"Sure...I'll put on some supper for you while you get some sleep."

Alice thanked her, rubbing at the back of her neck while walking like a zombie toward her bedroom. Carol stared at her, confused by the silent girl that had replaced her normally fiery daughter. This was not like Alice at all and she was determined to know what had happened. If David Hatter had hurt her, Carol was more than a little in the mood to find him and beat sense into him. Knowing she might need to pry this out of Alice, Carol turned back to her kitchen and began to scrounge for anything remotely chocolate.

Alice managed to hold herself together until she closed her bedroom door quietly behind herself, her hand shaking on the handle while she turned around and leaned against the door. Resting her head against the wood wearily, she stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath in before releasing it slowly. It almost hurt to breathe, and her head pounded painfully. Her fall through the Looking Glass had knocked her unconscious for what she estimated to be a good hour. This time there had been no one to find her in the basement of the apartment building that had once been Jack's home and she had lain on the cold concrete until she had come to. It had been surreal, stepping out into her world again and reading in the paper that only a week had gone by, and she had trudged back home in a daze. She hadn't seen anything, not the cars that honked at her when she stepped out into the street or the people who had cursed at her when she banged into them. She had felt numb, hollow.

_This wasn't happening. Not again._

Holding back sudden tears and determined not to cry, she looked back down into her room. Her eyes fell to her bed and she saw the purple velvet coat that she had thrown there just before Hatter and her had left. He had brought it with him the first time, knowing her affection for it, and she had kept it hanging on her bed post since then. Staring at the coat, she walked over to her bed and ran the soft material through her fingers gently before she lifted it to her face. Alice pressed her cheek against the velvet for a moment before an inexplicable fury tore into her and she screamed against the material, muffling the sound so that her mother couldn't hear her. Her scream made the coat vibrate, her hands clenching the velvet so tightly that it began to tear between her fingers, and she screamed harder. Screamed until her throat ached and her eyes burned from squeezing them so tightly shut, her fingers pulling the edges of the coat apart.

_How could he do this to her?_

_Why would he do this to her?_

_What had she done wrong?_

Alice crumpled to her knees in the way she had longed to do when still in Wonderland. Her head ached from her trip through the mirror but nothing compared to the agony tearing through her. It had never hurt so much before and it showed just how much she had come to love him that it did. The questions that ran through her mind overwhelmed her, made her feel sick to her stomach, and with considerable effort Alice pulled herself onto her bed. She stripped off her coat and boots mechanically, doing it from habit more than any real desire to be tidy. It simply made it easier to curl up beneath her massive comforter and pull it over her head.

When the heavy fabric nearly swaddled her completely, Alice pressed her face into her pillow and allowed herself to cry until it exhausted her even further. The tears wore her down, draining her until she fell in an uneasy sleep that was full of strange dreams. They twisted until they formed a memory, pulling at her mind. She was dreaming of those moments just hours before and even her dreams would not let her find other ways to combat what had happened. They gave her nothing but a haunting memory that she would give anything to forget.

* * *

_**Three Hours Earlier...** _

Alice stared at the Looking Glass with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She wanted to go home but she was worried about it as well, mostly wondering what would happen when she stepped through that mirror. What if she left Wonderland and Jack got himself into a whole other round of trouble? He may claim that Hatter and her were the troublemakers but trouble seemed to always follow **him** around nowadays. How long would it take for something else to happen in Wonderland?

Charlie and Jack were the other people in the Looking Glass Room, besides four technicians and three Suits she had never seen before. The Suits were going on a 'fact-finding' mission as Jack called it. He was still fascinated by her world and there were things he wanted them to recover from his old apartment for him. The Suits were being prepped as to the proper way to get through the mirror without falling unconscious or ill, and the technicians were running over a list of things that made Alice bored just overhearing it all. Not surprisingly, the Suits all looked equally as bored.

What was actually making her feel more uncomfortable about going through the mirror was Jack, who kept looking at Alice curiously and whenever she looked at him he looked away as if he was afraid she had noticed him staring. Charlie was rambling away to anyone who would listen about how being in the Looking Glass room muddled his control of the Black Arts and the technician he had cornered kept nodding politely. Alice smiled as she watched Charlie, realizing how much she would miss him already. He had been one of her best friends in Wonderland and while she wasn't certain if she would see him again, she had wanted to know that he would be okay here. That he would be happy, whether living in his old ruined kingdom or in the new Inn being constructed in the Forest of Wabe.

Alice forced herself to look away from him and glanced at the door impatiently. Hatter was late again, having told her to go ahead with Jack so that he could finish up. He had been talking to Dormie when she had left him in the Tea Shop, insisting that it was important business. Knowing he'd never let her leave without him, Alice had left him there and she was wondering if she would have to go back and get him. It was already thirty minutes past the time they were supposed to have left for her world and Jack kept checking the time impatiently. Jack hadn't answered Alice when she had gently tried to ask if he had talked to Amelia, simply steered the conversation back to her returning home. Whether the subject was a touchy one or not, she wasn't certain, but he didn't seem terribly upset about her asking. He just refused to answer the question.

She could take a hint and had given up on him, instead keeping an eye out for Hatter. It was a relief when he walked through the door, sauntering along as if he was on time and they were the ones who had been late. Hatter smiled at her when he drew near, eyes flickering over her from head to toe with his usual expression. Alice smiled, her eyes almost shining as she looked back at him; unaware of how she seemed to change when she looked at him. He had dressed in array of black and reds this time, colourful enough to brighten up the drab room.

"You're late," she declared when he stopped beside her. "What is with you and coming to these things on time?"

Hatter shrugged. "I try to be fashionably late. Do you know how much work it would take for me to be fashionably early?" he asked, shuddering as if the thought disturbed him. Alice arched a brow at him and he clicked his tongue as he pushed his hat back a bit to look at her more clearly. "I'm here after all. What is with you women and always expectin' more from me?"

She looked him over. "You've never complained before."

"I can be obtuse, Alice, but I'm sure even Charlie would realize the meaning behind that if he heard you," Hatter commented dryly, eyes darting to where Charlie was still pestering the technician. "I think I've been a bad influence on you."

"Mmhmm," she agreed. Hatter looked behind her and she saw his face seem to fall a bit. "Something wrong?"

"Nah. Just..."

"You're both up next," Jack said suddenly as he approached them. Behind him, the technicians were gently pushing the Suits through the Looking Glass. There was a soft whooshing sound that followed each man as he plunged into the mirror but the only sign that the mirror had been disrupted was the soft ripple that went through the face of the Looking Glass. Jack looked at Hatter intently, his eyes darting to Alice meaningfully. Hatter shook his head at him and laced his fingers through Alice's, effectively silencing the King.

"Oh, already I feel a gaping hole for your loss," Charlie declared, blubbering a bit with unshed tears as he trotted up to Alice. Hatter rolled his eyes and the Knight sniffed at him. "Not you of course, Harbinger. I feel something akin to relief when it comes to you."

Alice barely had time to suck in a breath when Charlie enveloped her into a tight bear hug.

"Oh, Justalice, how I will miss you! Who can protect you in your world?" Charlie grumbled in her ear. Alice patted his back awkwardly.

"I can do just fine, Charlie. I think that compared to Wonderland, life is a bit safer there still," she joked but he was sniffling. "I'll come back and visit, I promise."

"Of course but you will miss my next great Jabberwock Hunt! Hatter found a new tool I could use for my gravity-assisted snare, Mark V. It can hold down the peg of it until just the right moment you know," Charlie explained excitedly as he pulled back from her, holding out his hands to show her the general dimension of the tool Hatter had given him.

Alice looked at Hatter and he winked at her, the message clear as to where he may have hidden the disguised Sceptre.

"Just as long you remember not to hunt Suzy, I think you'll do just fine," Hatter said, tearing his eyes away from Alice to look at Charlie. The Knight eyed him imperiously.

"Jabberwocks do not make fine pets, Hatter," he chided and Hatter shrugged.

"And Knights don't make very good dinner from them. Knight meat is too tough." Hatter clapped him on the shoulder. "Plus, I'd miss havin' you around if somethin' happened."

Charlie blinked, stunned by Hatter's genuine concern. "I will do my best not to hunt your beast then."

"I'm sure Hatter can bring me back so I can see your invention when it is finished," Alice said and Jack shot Hatter another look that Alice didn't see. Hatter ignored him and simply squeezed Alice's hand with what she thought was support.

"We're ready," the technician nearest to the Looking Glass called out and Jack led the way over to the mirror. Charlie stayed back, keeping his distance out of respect for their goodbyes. They stopped before the steps and Alice let go of Hatter's hand, eyeing the Looking Glass before turning towards Jack. She smiled up at him before wrapping him in a tight hug that he returned with equal affection.

"I'm happy for you, Jack," she whispered, startled to find tears coming to her eyes. "You've changed and for the better."

"Let us hope it stays that way then," Jack said in her ear. "I have too much to thank you for Alice. I doubt I can ever repay you for it."

She pulled away, her hands still on his shoulders and sniffed back the tears. "I just wish I could come back here one day and not have there be a world of trouble waiting for me," she said dryly, arching a brow meaningfully.

Jack shrugged good-naturedly. "That is the nature of Wonderland, Alice. It always likes to keep you on yours toes."

"Well, before this I thought that that sort of magic only existed in storybooks and movies. It will be surreal to go back to my world and not see it in existence there," she said.

"I'm sure that you have your own sort of magic there, Alice," Jack said, leaning forward and giving her a warm kiss on her cheek. "In fact, I know you do."

"Sire? The time limit?" the technician said, reaching out with a white-gloved hand to tap Jack on the shoulder politely. Jack dropped his hands from Alice's waist and moved to one side so that she could go by. She thought it strange that he said nothing to Hatter but considering how much they liked to banter with one another, perhaps it wasn't too unusual. Smiling at the beckoning technician, Alice wiped her hands against her skirt nervously and took the few steps up onto the platform.

The sound of her heels clicking on the steps resounded through the room and Alice frowned in confusion. Realizing that she had moved up the steps alone, she turned around to see Hatter staring blankly ahead of himself at the shimmering Looking Glass. He had made no move to follow her and beside him Jack gave Alice a worried look that spoke volumes. She met his gaze with confusion and he shook his head at her, gesturing to Hatter with a finger. Alice nibbled at her lower lip and tried to get his attention from where she was standing. He hardly seemed to notice, his breathing shallow and fast.

"Hatter? You okay?" Alice asked, smiling at him. He shook himself free of his odd trance and dropped his eyes from the Looking Glass.

"Yeah, I...it's just that I...," he broke off, looking down at his trembling hands. Alice had never seen him shake that badly before and she stepped down from the platform, ignoring the protesting technician to join Hatter on the first step.

"Hatter, you can't be nervous about going through the Looking Glass. You were the first one through last time and you made fun of me for not enjoying it," Alice joked, reaching out to touch his hand. It was startling to find it cold and clammy and she gasped before putting her fingers around his. He stared at the top of her head when she turned his right hand over and watched as his hand clenched into a fist. He pulled his hand out of her grip finally, flexing his fingers as if her touch had scalded him. His hands dropped to his side and he shook his head back and forth to clear it.

"I'm sorry, Alice," he whispered and he finally met her eyes when he felt her staring at him. The sight of his face almost stopped her heart and she stared at him in confusion. His brown eyes had gone almost black with pain and she saw, for the first time all week, the threads of madness lingering there. Not as strong as they had been in the Taiga but showing through all the same. It was like seeing an oncoming storm and Alice's heart did an involuntary leap to her throat.

"Hatter, what is going on?" she demanded, her voice husky. Jack stepped back several paces from them, shaking his head at the technicians in warning. They shuffled back to their places and even Charlie was quiet, looking away from them as if sensing the need for privacy.

"I can't go back to your world with you, Alice," Hatter said lowly, causing her to have to lean close so that she could hear him. It took her a moment to absorb his words and she blinked in shock.

"What are you talking about? You said we were just coming here for short term, that when you had your shop in order again we'd be going back home," Alice said, confused. "Together."

"I lied," he said, his expression cold and his eyes still black. He seemed distracted, his eyes darting to the mirror again and again.

Alice tipped her head on the side, staring at him. "But you...why would you lie about that? I don't understand."

"I can't go, Alice. I thought I could and I can't...things have changed too much. Nothing's the same," he said lamely. Alice thought this was suspiciously like a speech she would have given one of her old boyfriends. It was a painful irony to be on the receiving end of it this time around.

"Hatter, this isn't like you," she pointed out. "Tell me what is really going on. Did something happen?"

His eyes darted to the side. "No," he lied while praying to Wonderland he'd be struck down for telling such a lie. "I had to make a choice, Alice, and I'm making it. I can't leave Wonderland to be with you."

"You don't want to be with me?" Alice whispered. "Not after everything that happened? Everything we've been through?"

"I can't be with you," Hatter corrected. Alice missed the implication hiding in his words, focussed only on the sudden pain tearing into her heart. Hatter stared at her, fighting what he felt and what he knew. The moment they had stepped toward the Looking Glass he had felt the dark tendrils of madness starting to weave their way into his mind; he could feel the pulsing throb of a trap starting to unleash itself warning him about taking a step further. Every word he spoke he regretted and he damned himself for the unlucky fool that he was.

"You waited until I wanted to leave before you told me this," Alice said, stung.

"I didn't want this to happen, Alice," he answered. "I can't go with you."

"I can stay here, Hatter, if it is just your business you are concerned with," Alice said, running her hand through her hair nervously. "I can go see my mom and go back and forth. It..."

"No." It was said simply but with a finality she had never heard in him before. Alice swallowed the lump in her throat and turned eyes that were starting to shine with tears on him. Hatter strengthened his resolve, knowing what he was doing was right. He was so ready to break due to those tears and he focussed on what could happen if he broke down. "Going back and forth constantly doesn't work the same way for Oysters as it does for Wonderlanders. You'd change, Alice. You'd grow bitter and resentful, you'd learn to hate me and Wonderland."

"You think I'd turn into her?" Alice demanded. "Is that what this is about? You're scared I'll do to you what she did to your father?"

"I don't think you're like her, Alice," Hatter interrupted, his tone cold and chastising. He sounded like a teacher giving a disappointed lecture to a student. "But I won't have you ruining your life, losing your family, because of me."

"Hatter, I'm not some swooning sixteen year old looking to run away with her boyfriend," she snapped. "I can make my own decisions."

"I won't let you do it, Alice," Hatter snapped back, stepping toward her. He regretted the action instantly, feeling the tug of the curse toying with him when he went close to the Looking Glass.

"You said that you loved me," she said and he stared at her.

"I do, Alice. By everything in Wonderland, I do love you. You know that."

"It's hard to believe when you are acting like this! Let me make up my own mind, Hatter," she started and he shook his head again, stepping back from her.

"You deserve to go back to your world, Alice. To see your mom and make your life there as good as it can be. There is nothing for you here. Oysters don't belong here, they never have," he stated. The words rocked her on her feet and she stared at him incredulously.

"You don't want me here," she said as if realizing what he had said in the beginning.

He managed to look at her with little expression to betray his own feelings. "I don't."

He looked away from her and Alice blinked back sudden tears. Her heart actually felt like it was being torn apart, and she was unable to help giving a bitter chuckle. "You know what's funny? All of this time, right from when you came to find me in my world, I told myself you were so different then the men I had been with before. That you were the one person I could trust, the one person I knew would never leave me. The one man it was right for me to want to give my heart to."

Unable to help himself, Hatter reached out to touch her face and she shoved his hand away. Alice had never wanted to hurt someone as badly as she wanted to hurt him in that moment.

"Don't touch me!" she warned, her voice icy. The tears in her eyes started to fall despite her best efforts but she gave a hard laugh. "You are the con artist after all. Making me believe that you wanted me, loved me enough to be with me, making me want to be with you. All the while you knew all along you would likely never come back with me. I should hate you for this."

"Alice, it isn't that simple," Jack said, interfering for the first time.

"Stay out of this, Jack," she ordered without taking her eyes away from Hatter's stricken face. "Why did you change your mind?"

He didn't answer her, simply stared at her as if he were trying to take her in. As if he wanted to memorize her. Alice sniffled, hating herself for crying before other people.

"Answer me...please," she whispered, her anger leaving her as her heart started to break. Hatter stepped forward and despite her protests he tugged her into his arms, leaning his cheek against the top of her head.

"If things were different…," he began so lowly only she could hear. He broke off when he felt her shudder against him, waiting for her to stop moving before he continued. "But you have to go. There's always a consequence for winning a battle, especially in Wonderland. I'm that consequence. Wonderland is in my blood, Alice. I can't leave it again without something going wrong. I have to…want to stay here. But I won't have you staying here."

"Tell me why."

Hatter shook his head. "No. You'll want to stay all the same."

"Then let me stay," she whispered against his collarbone.

"If I did and you came to hate me, I could never live with myself, Alice. Remember, fantasies always fade into reality. Wonderland would change you when it sensed that resentment," he said, holding her as tightly as he could. "I want you to go home. I don't want you here to see what might happen. You can't hop between worlds constantly like you think you can; it isn't some simple doorway. The effect would pull you apart slowly, your life separated into two worlds if you did it as often as you would need to in order to have a proper life in both worlds. It is why Oysters change so much in our world. It would torture you to leave your mother so often and one day, you might stop caring about who you were, the way your father stopped caring about his past. And I know how you love your mother and I don't think that there is a choice in this. You should be in your world."

She tried to pull away but his grip tightened. Alice wanted so badly to hit him, to make him feel the pain coursing through her, but she found herself weakening. She had never felt so strongly about someone, had never thought that loving someone so much could break her heart so completely when they no longer wanted her with them.

"I love you, Alice," Hatter whispered. The words did nothing to reassure her, only made her heart shatter further. "But you need to go home."

"Hatter, please." Her fingers tightened on the material of his coat and she felt him press his lips to her forehead. The kiss almost burned her skin and she wanted nothing more than to sink further into his arms.

"Goodbye, Alice." Hatter choked out the words, letting his arms drop from her and stepping back. She stared up at him blankly, her mouth slack in confusion.

"Don't do this," she whispered, "please." He stared at her, squeezing his eyes shut with sudden resolve before he turned around and slowly walked to the door. Alice wanted to race after him, to pull him back and demand more answers from him, to say why he had changed so much in the past hours. But her feet failed her, causing her to sway unsteadily. The door clicked shut loudly, the sound echoing in the room and at the realization of what it meant, Alice felt close to fainting. Determined not to do something so dramatic, she looked at Jack and saw the regretful expression in his eyes.

"Alice," he began, reaching out to put a comforting hand on her arm but she stepped back from him.

"You knew...you knew he was planning this," Alice whispered. "Didn't you?"

"I thought he would tell you." He stopped himself, shaking his head. "Alice, there's more to this, you know that."

"I was wrong," Alice said as if he hadn't spoken, her eyes hardening with anger. "You haven't changed, Jack. You still keep secrets that can hurt others."

His eyes closed and he shook his head again. "Alice, there's a reason why he can't..."

"He wants me to go? Fine," she said, recovering her old bravado. Alice had never felt so humiliated and betrayed as she did when faced with Hatter and Jack's treachery, and with some effort she gave Jack the coldest look she could. She was determined not to let Jack and the others see her cry, though her eyes were already stinging with bitter tears. She backed away to the mirror and without a second thought she plunged through the glass into the whirling tunnel of colourful lights. She heard Jack and the technicians yelling behind her, shouting warnings that she had to remember to breathe, to try to stay conscious. Alice no longer cared, just fell headlong through the Looking Glass and wished that she would forget everything that had just happened.

* * *

"Alice? **Alice**!" her mother's voice pulled her from the memory and Alice shot upright in her bed, dripping with a cold sweat that mixed with the tears she had been crying. The action caused the room to swim around her and she shut her eyes, hands going to her head to try to centre herself against the nausea. Her hands were shaking and she lowered them away from her face to twist them into the covers to try to make them stop, taking in deep gulping breaths as she did so. Getting control over herself, she opened her eyes slowly to keep herself from getting too dizzy and saw that her main light had been flicked on. Carol sat across from her on the end of her bed, her brow knitted in concern as she stared at her. There was a tray of food balanced on Alice's desk, the smell of the hot stew almost making her ill.

"You were screaming in your sleep," her mother said gravely.

"I was?" Alice asked, her mind hazy. Her throat ached, so she must have been doing something of the sort. "I'm sorry..."

Carol scooted forward on the bed and felt Alice's forehead. "Sweetie, you're freezing cold. Did you catch something on your trip? A flu?"

"Nothing that can be cured easily," Alice whispered to herself, too low for her mother to hear.

"I've never heard you scream like that, Alice." Her mother smoothed her hand down Alice's cheeks, turning her daughter's head so that she could look in her eyes. Not even when Alice had been very little and terrified of the imaginary monsters under her bed had she ever screamed like that. It sounded to Carol like someone who had had his or her heart ripped out. Alice wasn't looking at her, her eyes on the bedcovers again. Carol rubbed her thumb over Alice's cheek. "Alice? Honey, look at me. What's wrong?"

"Please, Mom. Don't ask me yet," Alice whispered brokenly.

"Did something happen with David?" Carol asked and knew she had struck a sore spot when Alice sucked in a breath as if she had been slapped. The stricken look Alice gave her confirmed it. "Honey, it won't help if you bottle it up inside like you normally do. What happened?"

"Mom," Alice started, wiping away the tears in her eyes. It did her no good and her vision watered and blurred. Feeling like she was ten years old again, she started to cry and leaned forward into her mother. If Carol was shocked, she gave no sign of it, simply wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and rocked her back and forth. Wondering the entire time what could have possibly changed Alice so much in such a short span of time.

* * *

Alice woke early the next morning, exhausted from crying herself to sleep. When she opened her eyes and saw the sunlight streaming in through her drapes, she immediately curled up onto her side and reached over to touch the spot beside her where Hatter would have been, should have been if she were still in Wonderland. Once again, it all flooded back into her mind and she moaned, wanting to fall back into a dreamless sleep once more. Anything to avoid that inevitable grief she felt when she remembered what had happened.

Her mother had been wonderful but she would demand more answers from her eventually. She was used to Alice's habit of being obtuse about the ending of her relationships and she had liked Hatter enough to want to know what had caused this relationship to end. Alice had thought up a lame story on the spot about how 'David' had taken her to England to let her know that his green card had expired and he was being deported. Her mother clearly didn't believe her but it had been enough to stop her questions for the time being. She had simply nodded and made Alice a cup of tea before telling her to get some sleep.

She hadn't realized that the simple act of giving Alice tea broke her daughter's heart all the more.


	47. Making a Choice

What Alice's mother learned, very quickly, was that her daughter was going to be as evasive as possible when it came to what had really happened on her 'vacation.' It wasn't a surprise to find Alice so secretive about her personal life, but it was surprising to Carol that her daughter would go to such lengths to avoid any questions. Alice was awake first each day in the first week she was home, going out for long runs that kept her out until her mother left for work, leaving early for work and staying out late at pubs and coffee shops so that she didn't have to speak to her mother beyond the compulsory 'how was your day' conversation. Where once they would have spoken about her break-ups, gone into detail and gotten through the tears and anger with laughter and more than a fair share of ice cream, now Alice withdrew and was remarkably quiet.

The day she went back to work, Alice did something she had never done before. It was certainly not something she wanted her mother to know she did, which was what made her do it at work and not at home. Years of stringent upbringing and an almost anal-retentive need for control had been forgotten in Wonderland and she and Hatter had been anything but careful. Considering how often and wildly they seduced one another, Alice had more than a little cause for concern. Her heart had pounded when she had purchased the test and she had waited for the entire dojo to go on lunch before she had gone to do to it, fearful of being caught by any of her co-workers.

Sneaking into the bathroom and locking it behind herself, she sat for a long time on the counter, staring at the pregnancy test in her hand until it finished her result. Its large red negative sign stared back at her after a few minutes but still she shook it back and forth rapidly just to be sure. It was absurd, especially when she was now newly single in her mid-twenties, to feel a bitter disappointment but she did. It was a relief as well but there was still regret that gnawed at her. Alice just wasn't sure why she was so upset when any of her friends would have rejoiced at the sight of a negative pregnancy test.

She was sure to hide the test at the bottom of the garbage before her classes began and the entire time she wondered if it had been found. It took all of her control not to run back and check it again. Even when she forced herself to try to focus on teaching her more advanced students a complicated throw, Alice still kept one eye on the bathroom door. Whether or not her students noticed something was wrong that day was unclear, each on the blunt end of her criticism as she worked out her frustration by making them exercise harder than they had before in her classes.

After the negative test, Alice threw herself into her teaching with the sort of drive that she had never had before. She had been toying with the idea of becoming a full-time instructor for the dojo and suddenly it was the only thing that mattered to her. The same day that she had resumed her normal classes, she signed up to take any extra classes that needed help and took on four additional kickboxing classes that need a back-up instructor to work with the beginners. The instructors had been eager to let her help, none of them questioning why she was the first to arrive and the last to leave. They all chalked it up to her unexpectedly deciding what she wanted to do with her life, and she was glad that none of them were close enough to her to realize that something was wrong.

Alice drove herself hard, working herself to an exhausted slump each day so that when she went home she could retreat to the safety of her bedroom and try to sleep. Her own teachers would have been proud of her discipline had it not been for the almost cold way she taught now. There was no feeling, no genuine warmth in her compliments to her students, no real energy in her demonstrations to them. Alice didn't care who noticed, simply kept to herself, and for a brief time no one said a word. Any time her dojo master tried to broach the subject with her, Alice had shrugged it off and said that she was still feeling jet-lagged from her vacation. He let it slide but the excuse was wearing thing as the days passed. Her new style of teaching and the problems it brought with it came to a crux finally after two and a half weeks of exhausting work. One of the other teachers asked her to assist with a sparring exercise that was being presented to prospective students, something Alice could have done with her eyes closed. It had gone well enough though she had fumbled a bit with a throw she had done so easily. It was after the demonstration that several of the students had commented that Alice had seemed to hate her job, which made them wonder if this was actually the right sport for them to get into. What fun could it be if the instructor appeared to dislike it so much?

Her dojo master took things like that seriously and when the other teacher brought it up to him, for the first time in years she had been pulled aside by him. They had known each other for years and it was that long-standing friendship that saved her from being fired. Instead, he promptly put her on a forced vacation for two weeks to avoid further burn out. Overriding her argument that she had just been on vacation, he had ignored her complaints about unfair treatment and told her to go home and get some sleep. Alice could not bring herself to tell him, sarcastically or not, that she didn't like to sleep anymore.

That she would have rather worked herself into a coma than to have him put her on 'personal leave'.

Despite his choice of phrase, it still felt like being fired and she made a depressing sight when she came home early that day, avoiding the subway and walking in the rain. It felt good to walk in the warm spring rain and she had lingered in it for a while until her socks and boots became soggy, until her clothing and hair were soaking wet. Knowing there was no way of avoiding it, Alice went home and braced herself for the questions even before she put her key in the lock. Her mother was on the couch, watching the news, but when Alice came in she clicked it off and sat up. She had barely seen Alice for the past weeks and the sight of her rain soaked daughter reminded her of a drowned cat coming in for shelter.

"How was class?" she asked delicately, seeing quickly that something was wrong. "Did you have the demo with those new students today?"

"It was fine," Alice said as she hung up her coat and kicked off her boots near the radiator. "Except I was asked to take a 'temporary leave of absence'."

"What?" Carol stared at her, watching as Alice threw her duffel bag to the ground. Alice loved her job, had been one of those few people who found their calling early in life. Or at least, that was how it seemed. Alice from a few weeks ago would have been positively livid at being told to take a break. Alice now seemed to be more relaxed and almost uncaring that she had could have been fired. Carol took in a deep breath, determined to see the positive side of it. "Oh, sweetie. I know you love your job but you could use some rest. And don't look at me like that; I know that you aren't sleeping. I heard you pacing up and down the hall at three this morning."

"I'm just jet-lagged," Alice insisted while she started to pull her sweater off and Carol rolled her eyes.

"After how many days?" she asked dryly. Alice muttered something inaudible through her sweater and turned around, the sweater far too tight after being soaked in the rain. The tank top she wore underneath rode up as well, tight and wet enough to be see through, and she heard her mother suck in a breath.

"You okay?" she asked over her shoulder as she tried to unstick her shirt from her body.

"Alice, what is that?" Carol demanded lowly. The strained tone of her voice was one that Alice knew meant big trouble for her; the sort that made her cringe involuntarily. She hadn't heard that tone of voice since she was sixteen and caught sneaking out with her friends when she was supposed to be grounded.

"What is what?" she retorted as she pulled her hair over her shoulder and turned to look at her mother. Carol was staring at her with her eyes narrowed and speculative. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a moment before she managed to find her voice.

"You've got a...dragon tattoo?!" her mother almost shrieked. Carol Hamilton was a very accepting mother in general, had never thought anything of Alice's more wild days, but the sight of a tattoo that spanned from Alice's shoulders down towards her mid back was shocking. Alice had never once hinted that she would want something like that.

Alice put her hand to her shoulder and tried to see the mark her mother was talking about. It should have disappeared when she came through the mirror, like the last time when her arm marking had disappeared completely. But it was there, green and black and the head staring unblinkingly at her from her shoulder. She hadn't done much by way of taking care of the way she looked recently, and she certainly hadn't lingered so that she would see her gryphon mark before now. Alice ran her fingers over the edges of it, trailing them as far as she could reach over the feathers and claws. In comparison to its warm and glowing presence in Wonderland, the gryphon now had the faint raised edges of a tattoo, but it was no longer warm or cold to the touch. It was simply a part of her skin, a scar to remind her of her time in Wonderland. For some reason, it had not faded from her skin on her return to her world, and its sketched eyes stared lifelessly back at her.

_As if she didn't have enough memories to haunt her now._

"It's a gryphon," Alice whispered, mindlessly correcting her mother as her nails dug slightly into her own skin.

"Well, that's wonderful. Thank you for that correction that you have something that isn't a dragon, but you never, ever wanted a tattoo before. And that is…huge," Carol said, gesturing wildly at it.

"I never did before..." Alice broke off when she realized it would do her no good to argue. Her mother wasn't even hearing her anymore, ranting at the rapid-fire pace of a parent about to lose it on their child. She rattled on and on that maybe David had been a bad influence after all, clearly upset about the way Alice had acted since she had come back, and she let it all out in one loud irritating rant. Alice didn't hear a word of it, sitting in the armchair and staring at the TV's black screen for a moment before she turned it on and tried to watch the news. Her mother didn't let up, simply continued on through three news programs and into a dreadful comedy show, until Alice was finally worn down. Slamming the remote onto the coffee table and not speaking a word, Alice got to her feet and shoved them back into her boots again. Grabbing her leather coat from the peg, she stalked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Carol demanded, upset at being interrupted mid-rant.

"Out," Alice snapped. "To get some peace and quiet."

* * *

Like she had for the other nights she had kept to herself, Alice wandered the more familiar streets around the city. Moving on autopilot, she simply tucked herself deeper into her old coat and kept her eyes focussed ahead. She ignored the catcalls she got from the drunks outside the bar, avoided any of her old haunts where her friends may be, and made sure to steer clear of the places she had taken Hatter during their weeks in this world. She was content to be alone with her thoughts, because she really had no choice about it. What was she going to do without her job to distract her? How much longer was she going to suffer from a streak of bad luck that had plagued her since coming back from Wonderland?

_Why in hell did it hurt so much still?_

Alice spent an hour or so just walking, ignoring her cell phone's frantic ringing. She was in no mood to speak to her mother right now, especially when Carol was likely to be in hysterics. Her mother had good intentions and Alice knew that she was trying to help her but she couldn't bring herself to listen. She wanted to be alone still and Alice wasn't sure if there would be a time soon that she would actually want company or any motherly advice. So she walked without any real direction; she walked and walked, never seeing where she was going as she made her way through the streets.

Lost in her own depressed state, Alice barely kept track of where she was going until she faced the worn old doors of a large building. She stared at the steps for a moment, gradually realizing that she had come to the doorstep of Hatter's old building, the apartments that were home to the Suits and, at one time, Jack as well. Alice stepped away until her back met a streetlight, staring up at the high windows and squeezing her eyes tightly shut after a moment. Her hands clenched into fists at her side and she sighed, swaying unsteadily on her feet. She wasn't sure what she was doing here, and she knew that if a Suit saw her they'd likely drag her right back to her mother's loft. If Jack followed his usual form, he had likely ordered them to make sure she was safe at all times.

The sound of a door opening made her jerk and she moved away from the streetlight to hide in the shadows of the building. A man she recognized from the Looking Glass Room was holding the door open for another Suit. They were both dressed casually but they still had the same strange bland expression that she had come to recognize as a 'Suit look'. Oddly enough, Alice had seen them frequently on the street when she went to and from work. It made her wonder if Jack had told them to keep any eye on her, to make sure she didn't try to come through the mirror again.

Neither of them saw her though and Alice waited until they had passed her before she scooted forward through the slowly closing door. She had just barely made it in before the door slammed shut behind her, locking her in the apartment building. It echoed loudly and she winced, half-expecting a landlord to come out shouting about slamming the doors. No one appeared though and she tried to force herself to relax.

"I'm sure I had a reason for coming here," Alice whispered to herself, looking up the staircase. She had no reason to dread being here because Hatter and her had spent very little time in his borrowed apartment. He had disliked borrowing anything from Jack and he had said that the apartment gave him the creeps. The memory of his overly dramatic explanation made her smile for just a moment before she remembered that that was all she had.

"Stop it," Alice ordered her mind out loud. "It's no use! You're stupid for coming here. Just go."

But she was contradicting herself because deep inside she didn't believe that she was being stupid at all. She had come here to be closer to part of Hatter that had lived in her world, a part she missed dreadfully. Alice took one last look at the exit before making up her mind about what she wanted to do. Ignoring the way it made her lungs and legs burn, she ran up the stairs to the fourth floor and to his door, some ridiculous hope that she'd find him there drawing her like a magnet. Her grief was toying with her mind though, and she felt an almost instantaneous misery when she found the door locked. There was still a notice on the door that the occupant had moved out, the sight making Alice groan and rested her head against the cold wood. What was happening to her? What the hell was making her act like a child? She hadn't felt this foolish since the times when she used to still run home, expecting her father to be there. Eventually she had forgotten to run home, forgotten to hope.

The prospect of forgetting to hope about Hatter was nearly too agonizing to think of.

Alice fished a hairpin out of her coat pocket, biting into the end to make it jagged before sticking it into the keyhole. It took her a few moments to properly trip the lock, forcing it open while uttering a sigh of relief that she hadn't been caught and that there was no chain on the door. Glancing around to be certain she wasn't being seen, Alice took a deep breath before she slipped into Hatter's old apartment. It was dark and quiet, freezing cold without the heat on, and Alice snapped on a few lights as she walked through.

She wasn't certain what she was looking for. A sign that he had lived here? That he hadn't been imagined? There had been times when Alice had lain awake at night, still feeling a phantom touch along her spine and brushing over the mark on her back, and wondered if she was going crazy. Maybe she was really going mad. She still had times when she walked down the street and thought that every dark-haired man who walked by in a cap was her Hatter.

Alice walked through the small apartment without thinking about what she wanted to do, wanted she had expected in coming here. She ran her fingers over the furniture, not speaking, just lost in her thoughts. The Suits had removed any scrap of evidence that Hatter may have lived here from what she could see. There were no teacups, no articles of clothing left behind, and no signs of his rather eccentric decorating style. It was a typical ordinary apartment and the sight made her all the more depressed.

Sinking onto the couch and curling her feet onto the kitchen, Alice slowly laid back against the couch's arm before she sunk into a doze. Coming back to her world had not been the same as it had the first time. It wasn't that she felt unimportant here, far from it. In Wonderland she had been a simple nobody to the majority of people and she hadn't cared then. The first time she had come back she had felt strange but she had recovered in a matter of hours. But now she just felt...empty, as if something was missing. She had become accustomed to the strange life in Wonderland quickly and she realized what Hatter had meant about Oysters changing when they came back from Wonderland. She had changed the first time and it had been a small change; now she had changed again and this time it ran far deeper inside of her.

"Damn you," she whispered to Hatter's memory as she stared at the ceiling and sunk back into her memories, the only comfort she thought she had.

* * *

_Hatter lay across from her, his mouth half-open as he slept on his stomach and mumbled in his sleep. He was almost childlike with the way his hair was tossed wildly and in the way he had tucked a throw pillow into his arms to cuddle it close. Smiling affectionately, Alice scooted closer to him and swung her leg over his, pressing her body into his side slowly. He grumbled something, burying his face into a pillow as he tried to stay asleep. Alice watched him for another moment; tickling her toes up and down his calf gently as she thought about the best way to wake him up. She had been watching him sleep for some time and Alice decided that she'd been awake and alone long enough now._

_"What is it?" he muttered suddenly without lifting his head from his pillow. He grumbled again when her cold feet slid against his legs beneath the sheets._

_"I'm very lonely," she whispered before moving to lay half-across his naked back. He was wonderfully warm from sleep and she snuggled tightly against him, breathing out lightly against his ear. It made him shiver and his head tipped on the pillow so that he could speak without a mouthful of pillow._

_"Just lonely?" he rumbled affectionately, reaching backward blindly and caressing her bare hip._

_"You were also starting to talk in your sleep," Alice pointed out, resting her chin on his shoulder. "How can I sleep with you talking a mile a minute?"_

_"Carefully, I suppose. Provided I don't say anything incriminating, there's no reason for you to worry. I'm tired after all… you wore me out, Alice," he answered and she tugged on his hair teasingly._

_"Right. Let's not deny the fact that you pounced on me first." Alice sat up across his waist and trailed her fingers down his back. The muscles quivered at her touch and he moaned into the pillow when she rubbed at his shoulders. Recognizing the tension in his muscles, Alice focussed on his sore shoulders, her fingers firm but gentle, and he grunted when she kneaded a knot out of his back. She felt the knot give after a few minutes of massaging and smiled when he sighed in relief._

_"Gods, woman, you should start a business here in Wonderland just doin' that," he mumbled after a moment and Alice's smile widened._

_"You'd have to let me touch other men," she teased and he stiffened. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he thought her words over carefully._

_"Right, forget I suggested that then."_

_She rubbed his shoulders silently, fingers gradually trailing lower and lower until she brushed them over the healing wounds in his sides. Hatter groaned again and pushed himself up, rolling over onto his back so that he could stare at her. Alice smiled at him and he sat up, arms falling to either side of her hips. Staring up at her, his eyes went over her face with care, as if he was trying to see something behind her smile. Alice licked her lips and moved in to kiss him but he pulled his head back._

_"Alice, are you actually happy here?" he asked her. Alice stared back at him, puzzled. Then her eyes brightened and she brushed her fingers over his jaw._

_"Tell me you love me," she whispered._

_"Of course I love you," he answered, confused. Alice smiled and nodded._

_"Then I'm happy."_

 

* * *

 

The words sliced into Alice's mind like a stab from a knife, causing her head to ache from the clarity of her own dream. It had seemed so real that she tried to force herself to sleep just a little longer, just a little deeper, to hold onto that absurd little portion of peace so that she wouldn't have to face her reality. It almost worked; she was just starting to sag back into a deep sleep when Alice heard her name being called insistently. The voice pulled her out of the memory, yanking at her like a tether, and Alice finally had to force herself to wake up. When she managed to open her eyes it was to see her mother leaning over her, her expression both relieved and annoyed.

"Really, Alice, could you please try not to scare the life out of me?" Carol demanded. "I get enough grey hairs from you!"

"Mom," Alice said, pushing herself up and licking at her suddenly dry lips. "What...what time is it?"

"Almost midnight. When you didn't come home by ten I started to worry and made some calls. David's number was out of order of course but his landlord had said he heard someone making noise in his old apartment. He had been about to call the police but when he checked, he found you sound asleep on the couch. He recognized you, thankfully, and called me rather than the police," Carol explained, her tone all motherly scolding but light on the actual anger.

Alice pushed her hair out of her eyes and yawned loudly. "I guess I was tired."

"Sweetie," Carol began before pausing. Whatever comforting words she had been about to give suddenly left her and she sighed in frustration. Taking a seat on the coffee table across from Alice, she reached out and put her hand on Alice's knee. "I think this has gone on long enough. I have tried to understand, tried not to interfere with what you are going through because I know that you like your space, but I have never seen you this way. I don't like it. It's been two weeks and you are actually getting worse. You need to talk to me, Alice."

"There's nothing that I need to talk about," Alice answered and Carol tightened her grip on Alice's knee, warning her.

"Stop it. Don't you dare lie to me, Alice Hamilton! I'm your mother and don't you think for just one second that I can't tell when you are lying to me. Tell me the truth. I don't buy into the 'David-was-deported-I'm-jet-lagged-and-it-ended-okay' story and don't expect me to. I'm your mother and no one will ever know you like I do," Carol said firmly. "What happened?"

Alice stared at her mother, wondering for a moment if she could dare to actually tell her. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Alice, most of the world is crazy. Have you read the news lately? What could possibly be so crazy about your break-up with David Hatter?" Carol asked dryly.

"Oh, quite a lot," Alice muttered, pressing her hand over her eyes. She trusted her mother so much, loved her so much, but her mother had never been much for fantasy worlds and strange things. It was why she had taken some time to get used to Hatter and his eccentricities. Alice sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. If I tell you, will you promise not to interrupt me?"

"I never interrupt," Carol said and Alice gave her a look. Carol sniffed and moved over onto the other side of the couch. "Well, sometimes I do."

"Try not to?" Alice begged and her mother gave her a look.

"You are just like your father sometimes, Alice. You get me ready to hear a story just because you keep putting it off," she scolded affectionately.

Alice reached out and put her hand on her mother's. It took her a few moments to sort out her thoughts, to decide what it was she wanted to say without coming across as perfectly insane. Then, slowly, the entire story came out, from the very beginning with Jack being the Prince of Hearts forcing a coup in Wonderland. She explained who Hatter was, told her about the strange Forest of Wabe, the White Knight and the Stone of Wonderland that they had both mistaken for a simple ring. Retelling the story made Alice chuckle more when she thought of Hatter and her plunging at high speeds into the lake, even laugh at the thought of Charlie and Hatter sneaking into the Casino to save her. Her mother stared at her, incredulously at first, but then with more and more interest, eventually even nodding in understanding when Alice explained how being she had been conflicted about trusting Hatter. But when she told her mother about her father, about how he had been trapped and used by the Queen of Hearts to drain people of their emotions, she saw her mother put her hand to her throat, stunned. Alice tried to be as gentle as possible, not elaborating on what exactly her father had done for the Queen but instead telling her of the gradual return of Robert Hamilton's memory.

Even if her mother thought the tale fanciful and crazy, she never showed it while she wept at the death of her husband. Alice stopped then, holding her mother close as she wept and feeling her own sadness starting to wear down on her. She still thought about her father on a daily basis but she had come to grips with his death. Her mother, despite her brave facade, had never really recovered from the loss of her husband. Now, to hear this strange tale and how it had taken her husband permanently from her, it came crashing down into reality and Carol took more than a few minutes to compose herself.

After her mother let her know she was ready to hear more, Alice took the story slowly; skimming over what Jack had offered her and her decision to leave Wonderland. She ran ahead to telling her about Hatter taking her back to Wonderland, of the terrible atrocities of the Red King and how Wonderland had been in danger of permanent destruction. The entire time, Alice watched her mother's reaction, realizing that she had never seen her mother so interested in anything she had told her before. Carol leaned her chin on her hand and stared intently at her as Alice told her of the Cheshire and the Knave, of the warmth of the Mock Turtle Inn, the cold beauty of the White Manor, the strange Crows and a Jabberwock that came to a whistle. Mindful that she didn't want to speak of what had happened to Hatter, Alice skimmed over his involvement carefully, revealing just enough. She had enough trust in her mother to let her know that their relationship had deepened in Wonderland but avoided elaborating on it. The battle she spoke of, the scheming and the betrayals that led to it, had her mother almost sitting on the edge of her seat. Carol had a chuckle when told about Charlie's budding romance, called Jack an idiot on numerous occasions, and when faced with what Hatter had done to save Alice, she realized how much the young man had loved her daughter. Not seeing the look on her mother's face, Alice told her about the strange power that had developed while battling the White Queen's schemes and had to retell that to her several times so that it sunk in clearly. Her mother asked endless questions, some having no relation to the story at all, but Alice found it a relief to tell her, to have someone to talk to.

When the story came to the end and Alice told her mother in a hard cold voice what Hatter had done to send her away, Carol leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the younger woman. Alice didn't cry, she refused to, but she shook terribly in her mother's embrace. It was a weight off her shoulders to finally tell someone what had happened to her and she gradually relaxed into her mother's arms. Carol smoothed Alice's hair down like she had done when she was a child and waited for Alice to stop shaking before she straightened her shoulders. Sniffing back her own tears and a still fresh grief for the loss of Alice's father, she sighed.

"I see. That is quite the story, Alice," Carol said as she leaned back into the seat. She ran her fingers over her lips, tsking her tongue. "Some mothers would have said you were completely insane for such a story, that you hit your head too many times. Have you committed even."

She tilted her head and took in Alice's face. Her daughter stared back at her stonily, as if she was bracing herself in case Carol was about to mock her and say that she was insane.

"But I know you, Alice, and I also know how honest you are. I believe you," she said. "As utterly insane and impossible as the story is, I can see how much it means to you. I knew that something had happened to you, for quite a while now, but I could have never imagined this. There are a lot of unanswered questions but I think my head is still trying wrap around the idea of that old story being real." She sighed and flicked a piece of lint off of her trousers. It was clear that Alice had needed to get it off her chest but also that the real problem was at the end of the story. "And Hatter let you go? Why?"

"I don't know. I thought he wanted to come back here, he seemed to like living in our world," Alice said, rubbing her hand across her nose.

"So why didn't you stay instead?" her mother asked and Alice looked at her steadily. It became clear to Carol that Alice had come back for her, even though she would have said it was because Hatter forced her to. Alice, for all of her maturity, was terrified of making such a choice that could change her life so drastically. She had never liked to go far from her comfort zone, and this was definitely an extreme step for her. Even though she was absolutely furious with him for breaking Alice's heart, Carol realized just how well Hatter had known Alice. This strange quirk to Alice's personality, a hidden part to her, was something that Hatter had discovered, and he hadn't wanted to have Alice make that choice blindly and live to regret it. Her mother was, oddly enough, thankful for that but it didn't help the problem at hand.

Alice would not be the same if she stayed in this miserable shell of hers.

Carol sighed and put her hand on Alice's. "You wanted to stay with him. He told you couldn't jump back and forth between worlds like you thought you could. So why didn't you just stay?"

"I wanted to go between, try to live a normal life but he made it clear he didn't want me there. And…you've been my home, Mom. There wasn't any way I could leave you at a drop of the hat, leave you or my own world. I…I knew that. Everything I know is here," Alice said but her mother shook her head.

"Alice, I remember when you were little and you asked me if I was going to see other men," she said with a smile. "And I remember saying to you that I couldn't. That your father meant too much to me."

"I remember. I was silly to ask you that. It wasn't my business," Alice said with a rueful grin.

"But I didn't lie to you. I loved your father deeply and no other man could compare to him then. I've been alone, even when I had you beside me, because I could never give up his memory that easily. It's a choice that haunted me ever, and I don't want that for you," her mother explained. "You had a choice, Alice. I think you made the wrong one this time."

"But I don't want to leave this world, it's my home," Alice insisted. "I can't leave you either."

Carol shook her head. "It has been a home, Alice, but I remember how you grew up after being in 'Wonderland'. That whole concept of 'Wonderland' is downright strange for me to try to understand but that isn't my point. I think, that if you really want it badly enough, you can go back to that place and make it your home. Without me and without regretting your decision"

Alice stared at her, unable to speak.

"We all have regrets, Alice, but they shouldn't tear us apart, and I don't want to see you falling any further apart on me," Carol stated. "I don't want you to be like me, always loving a ghost of a memory and never able to bring yourself to love that deeply again. It took you so long to find a man you could love and trust…"

"But what about you?" Alice asked, still struggling with the gravity of her mother's words.

"All I want is to see you when I can, Alice, and we'll find a way, I know that. If you think you'll be happy with him, in that strange place...then perhaps you should think it over. You need to live your own life, Alice," Carol said. "It's time you started making that choice for yourself."

Without thinking about it, Alice leaned into her mother again and sniffed. Carol pressed her cheek against the top of Alice's head and sighed. "I don't know if he actually wants me there," Alice whispered. She felt the older woman smile against her hair.

"I know you better than that, Alice. You're not about give up on anything, no matter how badly you wished you could." She stroked Alice's hair again. "I'll support you, no matter what you decide. But I can't make up your mind for you. This is your choice, not mine, not your Hatter's."

Alice opened her eyes and stared out the window they faced, seeing a few black birds roosting on the ledge. She knew how much this would matter, how much this could change her life. No matter which way she went, she would have a difficult decision to cope with. That there was no one to help her, no situation to force her to make a certain decision, and Alice realized just how much faith her mother had in her to make the right choice.


	48. Home

Wonderland was a strange place, even by its normal standards, after the Red King and White Queen's attempted coup d'état. Birds migrated east in mass droves, led by large crows, while the wild borogroves attacked man for the first time in their odd existence. The strange behaviour of the Wilds quieted after several days, the animals seeming to settle once more, but no one noticed or cared by that point. Dealing with the wildlife of Wonderland had little interest for anyone in the City, and the complaints about the animals fell on mostly deaf ears when compared to the harm that had befallen the City. The winter that had stormed in with the White Queen's power had left its stain on the grounds: killing most of the plant life that had started to seep through the decay of the lower city, damaging the older buildings, and the moment the pipes unfroze there was mass flooding in every building not equipped to cope. People were forced to abandon their homes and search for higher ground in the City, and the sudden influx of people put a strain on the City's mid-level buildings. It also made for incredibly busy work for Jack's government just to make sure that everyone was fed and safe, and even Hatter's Tea Shop was swamped with people coming in just to avoid the poor plumbing they were forced to cope with. The Tea Shop rang in tremendous business, but its owner was only seen on occasion, a switch from times when he used to be seen out and about at all times.

Whispers went through Wonderland City that the Hatter had actually gone mad and, true to the strange behaviours of Wonderlanders, business actually increased due to people coming in to see if it was true. Dormie was the culprit of that exaggeration, poorly timed words to the Gnat gossips twisted around and brought to a totally different conclusion about his employer. By the time it went around, there was no helping it and Hatter had hardly cared, content to try to absorb himself in his work and avoid the public eye. Despite Dormie's insistence that it was stupid to grieve over the loss of an Oyster yet again, Hatter ignored his critique and kept to his work.

The only problem was, he lacked motivation to do such work. Unlike the first time Alice had gone back to her world, he couldn't console himself with the possibility of following her. He had to be content with his lot in life and for the second time in his life Hatter was anything but content with his own existence. He was disgusted with what he had done to send her away, disgusted with what he did now, and unable to care about how he had to live now. Jack had given him a Royal Commission for selling and importing wares, saying that it was from his service that Wonderland had survived but it was no comfort to Hatter. Hatter's memories of his 'service' were bitter and sweet at the same time and he found himself slipping into old habits to try to forget them. It was so easy to fall back into the routine of trying to forcibly change his emotions, to drug himself into a stupor and work until his body begged for rest.

The first days without Alice were the better days, made short by his constant activity and an unusual drugged haze that clouded his mind. It did not take long, however, for those first weeks to lose their pleasant lull when he ran out of his last stash of 'Clear Conscience' and 'Forgetfulness'. The fall from those emotion teas was abrupt and the equivalent to a detox, plummeting him into several weeks of illness that had him crippled and in his bed for most hours. The blissfully bland 'Forgetfulness' wore off first and the memories that pierced through that fog had burned like a hot poker. It had ripped through him with a dark edge of madness that he had forced himself to get through, the struggle leaving him exhausted and more susceptible to his own self-loathing. Then the 'Clear Conscience' had worn off and he was plunged into his own guilt about how he had let Alice go, how he had tricked her by never telling her the full truth.

After the last of those Emotions were gone, he was left without any crutch or way to divert his attention from what had happened and what he had lost. The Tea Shop and his day-to-day routine were the only things left, and he threw himself at them with increased vigour. The days began to blend together, Hatter working himself to complete exhaustion each day and still not able to sleep even when the shop closed. The routine of it, once so comforting and easy to adapt to, drove him to furious boredom, and now he was simply going through the motions and barely aware of what was around him. He knew - was polite enough - to recognize when Jack had visited, or when Charlie had stopped in on his way back to the Kingdom of Knights. He wasn't certain if his deception worked or if they actually believed that he was as well as he was putting across, but he stopped caring the third week in Wonderland when Alice was gone. Jack had tried on numerous occasions to talk to him, using his own problems as a way of creating conversation. The entire time that they did speak Hatter would masterfully keep Jack from learning anything about how he really was, until eventually Jack stopped visiting as frequently. The last time had been when Jack had told him about his private re-engagement to Amelia, but that had little interest to Hatter, despite the business it could bring in for him and the obvious happiness it brought a man he was starting to consider a friend.

It was hard to be enthusiastic these days, not when the weeks turned into a month, then two and a half months for him. Most times, he dozed at his desk and scribbled nonsensical recipes on pieces of paper that he eventually lost in the piles around his office. What recipes that he did remember to hand over were usually an extraordinary success with the people who bought his teas and Hatter eventually forced himself to try to remember give Dormie or one of the other workers his scribbles once a day. The Flower girls took their turns getting the notes from him, each trying to gain his interest, trying to drag him into a healthy gossip about their customers. Once or twice, Rose had boldly tried to flirt with him but he could barely summon the interest beyond a kind but firm refusal of her advances. Alice's departure had taken with it any chance he could have of desiring someone without being slipped some drug.

For girls with rather healthy egos, it was a devastating change in the Flower's employer.

"Hatter?" Daffodil's voice floated from across the space between Hatter's desk and his door, forcing him to jerk out of his doze to see the willowy girl's shadow in the distance. She was wary of coming any further into his rooms, worried that she could have her head bitten off for intruding. Of the Flowers, she was the gentler one and she found his grief for his lover so hopelessly romantic. Not to mention an interesting change; Wonderlanders found any real or extreme depth of emotion absolutely fascinating and his was almost a textbook case of deep romantic love.

"What is it?" Hatter asked grumpily, annoyed at being disturbed out of his first sound rest in days.

"We've got a few traders in, sir. The ones you asked to see?" she explained, clearly not wanting to be on the receiving end of any anger. Daffodil came in a few more steps and stopped, clutching her clipboard of notes tight to her chest.

"Did I ask to see any?" he asked, clearly confused though he stood and walked toward her. She handed him the clipboard she held and he scanned it quickly.

"You had a few you wanted to see yesterday that we couldn't find. You were...tired," she offered, not wanting to point out how raging drunk on bread-and-butter beer he had been last night when she had left. No one, not even Dormie at his most sarcastic, dared to bring up the boss' latest drinking bouts. He shrugged, not remembering anything about last night though the pounding pain in his head was telling him he had definitely done something to warrant a headache. "Dormie was able to find one or two for you, if you'd like me to show the first one in?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hatter rumbled, waving his hand dismissively at her before he turned around to sort through the papers on his desk. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Daffodil left him to send in the first trader.

He smelled him before he even saw him, and the moment he did Hatter groaned inwardly while wishing for air freshener. Ratty always had that distinctive unwashed, oily smell of the sewers and Hatter jotted down on a blank piece of paper that he would need a good scrub brush to get the stains out of the chairs if he had Ratty sit. Which he rarely ever did but it did pay to be polite on occasion to the trapper.

" 'Ello, Ratty," Hatter said without turning around. "What can I do for you?"

"I haven't seen you in a few weeks, Hatter. But I remembered," the older man said, pausing to cough up the phlegm trapped in his throat. The disgusting hitch in his breathing made Hatter wince involuntarily and he continued to scribble the various items he might end up having to clean if Ratty touched anything. Ratty cleared his throat harder. "I remembered how you said you was lookin' fer stuff. Antiques and what have you, stuff you could use in the shop. I found some prime things near the Palace, just lying about."

"Anythin' found floating near the sewers is not likely to be...'prime'," Hatter pointed out. "Need I remind you that last time you brought me something from that side of the City I ended up having to close the Shop down to spray for the roaches?"

He thought, could have sworn on his favourite hat, that he heard someone giggle, a sound that Ratty would never ever give. The sound didn't come again and he chalked it up to his overly active imagination. He was likely going mad after all.

"Everythin' I got is clean!" Ratty protested. Hatter made a sarcastic face, one he was glad that Ratty couldn't see, and shrugged his shoulders as casually as he could. The trapper's voice was slowly grating in his ears and giving him more of a splitting headache than before.

"All right. Let's hear it. And be quick about it. I've got other appointments."

"I've got a few items," Ratty said and Hatter rolled his eyes, still not turning around. Ratty always had something to trade, usually something of appalling value, but Hatter was savvy enough to pull out a decent price that benefited them both normally. "I ain't lyin' to you."

"So spill it then, I ain't got all day," Hatter grumbled, flipping his cabby hat from one hand to the other before tipping it just so on his head. The action was mindless on his part but a sign to Ratty that he had better start talking before Hatter kicked him out for taking too long.

"Well, if you could take one particular item off my hands, I would be appreciatin' it. Keeps complainin' about how we don't build cities proper and on the ground, like," Ratty said. "And I keeps tellin' her, 'we do things sensical, you know,' but she don't listen."

"What?" Hatter asked, not having been listening to him at all at first. He chewed on the tip of the pen and quickly added 'disinfectant' to his list of cleaning supplies.

"I found this one up in the alleys instead of at the dock and this time she was lookin' for me. Me of all people! She was just standin' there all, all unmindful that it was rainin' out. Typical. Had nothin' to pay me with but I figured you'd give me a hefty price for her," Ratty continued on as if Hatter hadn't spoken. Behind Ratty, there was a faint sound of someone walking and the door Ratty had come through clicked closed.

Hatter stiffened, recognizing the faint floral scent in the air and his heart began to pound painfully hard in his chest, constricting his breathing and making him light-headed. Ratty continued on in his spiel even when Hatter turned on his heel toward him, struggling to maintain his calm. Standing just behind Ratty was Alice, her eyes locked on Hatter's the moment he turned around. It was a strange feeling of déjà vu for Hatter, though she was dressed differently and the circumstances had changed. Alice's long dark hair was glimmering with raindrops and she was shivering, the same way she had when they had first met, but her eyes were going over him as thoroughly as his were going over her.

 _Oh, by every mad thing in Wonderland,_ Hatter thought, _I really am losing it._

Leaning back against his desk, Hatter rubbed at his chest; the way his heart was beating so frantically against his ribs burned. The banging rhythm matched the faint pounding of blood rushing through his body and he squeezed his eyes shut hard. When he reopened them, Alice was still there, standing beside Ratty and twisting her fingers into a nervous knot when Hatter stared at her. Ratty had changed subjects now, holding up what looked like a cross between a bear trap and an old lobster cage and trying to expel its virtues to Hatter. His prattle didn't even penetrate Hatter's concentration as he stared at Alice.

What did break it was when Ratty gave a rude sound and stamped his foot impatiently. Hatter forced himself to look away from Alice's glimmering blue eyes and focussed on Ratty's cagey expression. He had the suspicion that even if he asked Ratty as to where he found Alice, the trapper wouldn't be giving him a straight answer any time soon. Alice had likely threatened him not to.

"How much?" he demanded instead, looking down at his clasped palms. Ratty may have been one of the lowlifes of Wonderland, but he was clever enough to understand that Hatter was really asking how much it would take for him to leave. Wrinkling his pointed nose slightly, he thought it over and then raised his hand, wiggling it in a '50/50' gesture that any trader would know. Hatter squinted at him, making it clear that he didn't believe him, but Ratty merely squared his shoulders up and stood as erect as he could. Behind Ratty, Alice still stared at Hatter but he ignored her. He did something he rarely did and relented to the asking price, reaching blindly behind himself. He tossed the box he found at Ratty, a tin filled with one of his higher quality mint teas. The trapper cackled greedily, rolling the box in his hands before taking a quick sniff of the contents.

Eyeing Hatter again, he pocketed the box and grinned. "Now, that gadget's price is..."

"I paid for what I wanted, the only thing I'm interested in," Hatter said, lifting his gaze to look at Alice. She almost went red at his words and Ratty grunted.

"But, you did say you wanted some old things for this shop, anything special seemin' and I..."

"Leave!" Hatter shouted, the strained tension in his voice warning Ratty that he was in no mood to banter with him.

"As I was sayin', pleasure doin' business with you as usual," Ratty said instead, plopping his hat back onto his greasy head before he sprinted for the door. Alice turned to watch him, jumping slightly when the door slammed shut, before she took in the sight of the room. The Flower girl had brought them to the very first office she had met Hatter in and the familiar sight had made Alice remember the first time she had come here. The office hadn't changed at all, perhaps a bit messier with stacks of teacups and crumpled papers randomly piled around. Everything else was the same. Quelling her sudden case of nerves, Alice rubbed at her stomach and turned back around to face Hatter.

She gave him an uneasy smile. "It's nice to see that some things never change around here. He's definitely the same."

Hatter simply stared at her, folding his arms across his chest. His silence made her nerves flutter in her stomach and she took a few steps toward him. Hatter's eyes roamed over her face, dark and expressionless, and she stared back at him for a moment. He hadn't changed, though she hadn't expected him to; the grey checker patterned shirt and navy trousers were just eccentric enough and his hair was still wild. When she had followed the Suit back into Wonderland after making her choice, he had told her that her time away would equal a few months in Wonderland. What had changed was that Hatter seemed a bit scruffier, if it were possible, his face hallowed with lack of sleep and lack of good food, but she was certain she had never seen anything she wanted more.

It was hard to tell if he felt the same way about her.

"You look...tired," Alice said but still he just leaned against the desk and stared at her. Pushing her damp hair away from her face, she rubbed at her arms briskly to get rid of the chill. "I wasn't really expecting it to rain here."

"Alice," Hatter said, pausing to give an exasperated sigh and tipping his hat slightly so that it slanted more over his eyes. "I don't think you're here to discuss the weather."

She stared at him and a bewildered expression flickered across his face.

"You...you didn't come here to discuss weather, right? 'Cause if you did then my expectations about you are clearly off their mark and I might need help then," he continued, scratching at the back of his head in confusion.

"I missed you," she blurted out. His head jerked to the side and he looked at her curiously. Alice flicked her hair over her shoulder, tugging at the ends nervously. "I...I never thought I could miss someone as much as I missed you."

Hatter's eyes lowered, his brow furrowing. His shoulders shivered, as if her words had sent a chill down his back, and Alice moved until she was standing just a few strides away from him.

"I was hoping that it would get easier for you, the longer you were away...made sense, it's how it works in my world," Hatter muttered, wishing he had something he could fiddle with. "Well…it's how it used to work."

"You didn't ask me what I wanted," she pointed out.

"Why are you back here?" he asked, trying to divert her attention. She tensed, her fingers going into fists.

"Why did you want me to go back alone?" Alice retorted as she glared at him and he flinched, still not lifting his eyes to hers. "Hatter, look at me."

"I already..."

"Something happened." Alice raked her hands through her hair again, impatient with him. She had come back with such expectations, all of them falling flat now that they were face to face. "You didn't make up your mind on the spot like that. The whole time we were together in that last week...you knew you were going to let me go, didn't you?"

The way she bit that out made her sound furious and he flinched again. "I didn't have a choice, Alice. That last fight with Chesh...he made it impossible for me to follow you," he admitted. The words relieved some of the weight that had been on his shoulders but Alice's eyes were fierce.

"How?"

"Lots of explainin'...won't do any good." He saw the way she was looking at him and sighed. "Curses and such."

Without thinking about it, she gave a strange chortle of a laugh. "You don't believe in curses."

"I don't...didn't." He tipped his head back, sitting on the desk and crossing his ankles. "Not until now and I realized just how much of a hold Wonderland had on me. I didn't want you to stay because of it."

"You didn't even tell me," she started and then sighed. "You didn't think I'd make the right decision." He didn't answer her, still staring at the ceiling to avoid looking at her. Alice sucked in a hurt breath, "You didn't trust me to."

"I've seen too many lives destroyed for ridiculous reasons," Hatter started and she stepped forward, wanting to slap him suddenly to wake him up out of this melancholy of his. She was close enough she could smell old tea and liquor on him, see the strain of the past weeks etched on his face, and it made her irrationally angry and despairing to see him like this. She wanted that cocky, arrogant Wonderlander, not this depressed man who looked worn out.

"You are not a ridiculous reason, Hatter!" she protested. She was tired and a bit sore from her trip through the Looking Glass, and his attitude was grating on her nerves. "God, it's like you went and grabbed onto this martyr attitude like it was your right! You think you know everything, that you know what is going to happen all the time, and that you know what I need! How could you be so smart yet be so utterly stupid? What could that curse have possibly done that we couldn't fight?"

He moved fast and without any warning, grabbing hold of her arms and whirling her around so that the edge of the desk pressed into her backside. Alice, too shocked to retaliate or shove him off, bit back a cry of pain when his fingers dug tightly into her biceps. Hatter shook her hard enough that she bit into her tongue accidentally, the effect rattling her teeth when he squeezed her hard and did it again. He seemed furious with her, his grip almost too much for her to bear before he stopped and pulled her close, Alice's hands splaying out against his chest to steady herself.

"Chesh wasn't stupid, Alice. He knew what he was doin'. The thing he knew would kill me, destroy me...would be if I killed you. That niggle of a curse, we don't think much of it normally in Wonderland. There is too much to worry about day-to-day…but this time it slid into my head. He used my family's trap against me, to get his revenge on me for what I did to him. The minute we stepped toward that Looking Glass, the curse was there, cracking open a place I don't want to go back to again. It would have changed me, led me down a path I couldn't come back from." Hatter's fingers flexed against her arms and Alice squirmed slightly, trying to get him to loosen his hold.

"You don't have to protect me..."

"You wouldn't have been able to stop me," he ground out angrily, the threat lying between them. "You would have tried to fight me off, I know you, but it wouldn't have been any good for either of us. I would have killed you without thinkin' twice about it, the moment we stepped through that mirror. That madness would have driven me to it when it was unleashed. Do you think that that was something I wanted to live with? That I wanted to chance? I wouldn't risk hurtin' you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alice whispered while wincing at the grip he had on her arms. "Did you want me to hate you? To forget that I loved you?"

"It would have been easier for us both," Hatter ground out, letting her go when she wrenched herself free of his grip. Alice shook her head.

"For you maybe."

Hatter tensed at his words and turned around, slamming his palm down onto the desk. "Is that why you came back, Alice? For answers to questions I couldn't bring myself to let you ask?" he asked, his voice gone husky and dark. Alice sniffed back bitter tears, furious with his stubbornness and her own lack of control.

"I came back," Alice whispered, "but not because I wanted answers."

He still refused to turn around and she looked to the side, wishing she knew what to do. She couldn't do this staring at the back of him, wondering what he was thinking. She wanted to see his face, to know what he was thinking, because he was acting so strange. Twisting her fingers nervously, Alice closed her eyes.

"I came back for you," she said, her voice low but strong. "Because I thought that there may still be a piece of you that wanted me to be with you, least as much as I wanted to be with you." Staring at the back of his head, she saw that he was still unwilling to turn around to face her. "I just wish I hadn't been wrong about you," she finished.

She heard him suck in a deep breath but still he didn't turn around. It left her with little other choice; she couldn't make him do anything, not when she felt so helpless. Her breathing suddenly constricted in her throat, Alice ran. She wasn't sure why she left him there or where she was going, but she ran, nearly knocking over tables and shop customers on her way out. Through a glimmering fog of tears and hopelessness, she ran for the doors and swung out into the afternoon mists, tripping down the stairs and across the platform that ran between the buildings. She was vaguely aware of people shouting at her to slow down or stop, felt one or two grab at her to see if she was okay, but she shook them off. The telephone booth across the way made a welcome shelter, made for something to focus on, and she grabbed onto it to avoid falling to her knees when she reached the other side of the platform.

_What had she been thinking?_

Her mother had told her that it was up to her, had hugged her and said she would support her in whatever she did...and Alice had moped around Hatter's old apartment for a few hours after her mother had left to go to work the next morning. She had lain on his old bed, still smelling the faint trace of his cologne and tea, and made up her mind then. A decision that could have, would have, changed her life and she did it in a matter of hours. Alice had thought that she had made the right choice to come back to Wonderland, even though she knew it would be to stay and that her visits back to her world would be few. In the end, it had been easy. It had been nothing to pack a quick bag and bribe a Suit with what money she could afford to let her come back with him, and after that it was so easy to get her chance to go back to Wonderland. She had hugged her mother tightly good-bye, Carol still bewildered by the sight of a Suit disappearing through the mirror, and had promised that she'd find a way to get regular messages back to her. Then she had gone willingly back through the Looking Glass, falling down the misty tunnel.

It was a nostalgic gesture, to get Ratty to bring her to Hatter; a slice of drama she had thought that Hatter would appreciate. Nostalgic, a little silly, and yet it had seemed so important to her. The trapper had been unenthused about helping her again until Alice pointed out that Hatter would likely give him a good price in exchange for her. That greed had worked and he had brought her with him to the Shop. She had been so eager to see what Hatter would think, what he would do. Then, when he turned around, she had seen the strange emotions that had chased one another across Hatter's face: horror, surprise, longing, and anger. Every emotion had warred for dominance on his expressive face before he assumed a blank look she knew all too well. _But what had she expected?_ Despite her rather repressed emotions, Alice was at heart a romantic. She had hoped for something...rather romantic from this but what had she wanted? A declaration of love, an apology, birds to sing, perhaps a cinematically epic style of kiss? Maybe even for Hatter to finally express his utter delight at having her near?

And what had she gotten for her imaginings? His anger that she had gone against his wishes to keep her away, an explanation of a curse he clearly believed in, and the sharp knowledge that she felt he didn't want her as badly as she wanted him. His hesitation and anger with her had just cemented that in her mind. She wasn't certain how it could have gone worse.

It was yet another bitter pill to swallow and Alice leaned against the old phone booth for support as she gulped for breath. Struggling to rid herself of the tears she felt coming again, she rubbed at her cheeks and cleared her throat huskily. She tossed her head back as she tried to regain what was left of her shattered confidence, and pushed herself away from the phone booth. With a grimace at the sight of her now dusty hands, Alice crossed her arms over her chest and began to walk off once more back the way she had come. She was getting soaked once again from the light rain and mists but there was nothing she could do about that. What was she going to do now? All of her planning, her hope, had rested in staying with him and now she was going to have to think something else up.

She felt numb and suddenly cold, so when her boot suddenly slipped on a loose piece of turf and concrete she was barely aware of it. Her foot skidded along, slipping on the muck and sending her sliding dangerously close to the edge. It was only when she actually started to teeter and felt the pull of gravity that Alice realized how much trouble she was in. Arms swinging out, she tried to stop her fall and get her balance back. The plunging distance below the ledge swam in her vision and she opened her mouth to scream.

Cool hands wrapped around her wrists, yanking her backward to a safer position on the ledge with a ferocity that nearly pulled her arms out of their sockets. The shock of it stopped the scream in her throat and she kept moving backwards, terrified that she might still fall if she didn't. Alice gulped in a breath, staring at the waterway stories beneath the ledge she had nearly fallen over. It twisted dizzyingly in her vision and she swallowed the lump in her throat, struggling to get a grip on her sudden panic attack. Her hands went out behind her, finding the warm but slick feel of a leather coat and she shut her eyes when the hands on her wrists slid to hold her hands.

"I swear, you insist on tryin' to scare the hell out of me," Hatter rumbled in her ear as he pulled her closer and forced her to sit down on the grass near the building. Alice crumpled gratefully onto her knees, still hating to admit her weakness for heights, hating that she wanted his arms to stay around her. She stiffened, not sure how he would react to that admission right now, and let go of his hands. Hatter seemed to sense her need and then her sudden tension, the odd change in emotions confusing him and forcing him to drop his arms to his sides. Tearing his eyes away from her ashen face, he looked out across the way and sighed, turning away from her before she could see way it had hurt him. He shifted his legs over the edge of the platform, letting them swing slowly back and forth with careless ease.

"Hatter..." Alice started and then stopped herself, unable to continue. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Hatter's tension almost palpable beneath his indifferent expression and Alice's tears drying on her pale cheeks. It took that time to recover her equilibrium, her fear of heights slowly fading as she forced herself to relax and breathe deeply. After a while, she was ready to turn to him, to try to explain again, when she saw him heave a sigh and then look down at his clasped hands.

"I had my reasons for wanting you to go. But I would have forgotten them in a heartbeat if I could have…I didn't lie about that," he said, his raspy voice familiar and soothing. "I would have left with you in a heartbeat if I could have. I could handle it...my life here is mostly work and no one to call family anymore. That's why I did it so easily in the beginning, you know, because I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do more than come to your world. Then it all changed; I couldn't go back with you, not this time. What I did in going to your world… I wouldn't ask you to do that for me, Alice. You have a family, a life...things you loved."

"Why didn't you just ask me?" Alice asked, relieved at this soft change in him. He seemed so defeated, as if her presence had broken down a wall he had been building around his emotions. He smiled, shaking his head slightly as if her question amused him.

"I saw what happened...before." He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, revealing the vulnerable line of his throat. Alice stared at him, wanting to reach out and touch him but knowing that it would do her no good. Hatter's eyes opened and still he stared out across from him, never once looking at her. "If you stayed because of a curse...what would happen? You might stay with me in the beginning, never thinking twice about going home until you were here for a longer time, a time when you actually became a Wonderlander. A time when you might realize what a mistake you made."

He looked down at his hands. "Oysters who stay in Wonderland...often never leave after the first year. It is too hard on them, the change in times and the worlds. Going back and forth between the worlds...it destroys them if they do that too frequently. It is one thing to go and leave in a few days but to stay for longer periods of times causes more stress. The Heart Family learned this when they were using your people and it was generally accepted that after being harvested and drained, captured Oysters would be left to die in our world. Letting them back into their own world was actually more a cruelty."

Alice reached out and took his hand, tightening her fingers around his. "I felt that, when I went back. It was cruel, Hatter, and I never realized it until I began to look at my own life."

He looked at her then, shocked by that admission, and Alice shook her head.

"Whether you were trying to protect me or not, Hatter, you did me no favours in sending me back. Without having you near I started to realize how much I changed by being here, how much of a hold Wonderland…and you had on me." Summoning up her nerve, she slowly scooted forward until she had swung her legs down beside his and was pressed close against him. Leaning on one hand, Hatter stared at her, eyes narrowing as he took her casual pose.

"You hate heights."

"I think I have to get used to heights now," she responded dryly, fingers still clasped around his. "I'm not like the first Alice, Hatter, or the others that hated being here."

He stiffened at her words, hand trying to pull free of hers but she held him tight.

"When I went back, I told my mother everything," she started and he gave her an incredulous look.

"Everything?" He whistled lowly when she nodded and gave a small shake of his head. "I'm sure Carol took that real well."

She nodded again. "From when Jack was still Jack Chase to me to the defeat of the Queen of Hearts. I told her about the White Queen and Red King, about almost everything that happened until the time I came back. She took it...surprisingly well, even I'm still surprised about that. She had suspected something else was wrong with me the moment I came back to our world, and she was going to make sure I told her. Hatter, I couldn't bring myself to live like I used to. I changed too much. So she told me to make a choice, that I had to be the one to decide. Not her...not you. It was my choice."

Hatter looked away from her and Alice reached out with her free hand to touch his cheek.

"I want to stay in Wonderland, Hatter. Not because I feel guilty thanks to some curse or because I feel I owe you that," she whispered and his eyelids lifted so that he could stare at her with his dark eyes. He seemed even more guarded than before, as if he was afraid of her reasoning, of what her words could still turn into. Alice trailed her fingers along his scruffy jaw and gave him a soft smile. "I want to stay because I want to be here."

"The fantasy isn't always as good as the reality," he warned her and Alice smiled, remembering him saying that to her before.

"Sometimes, reality is better than the fantasy," she parroted, staring into his eyes. He closed them after a moment, as if her blue-eyed gaze was too much for him and then opened them again to stare at the cityscape surrounding them. The silence stretched between them, Alice following his example and simply staring out at the buildings. Hatter struggled with himself and his reasoning, knowing he should try to argue with her, to force her away. That he should do it for her own good though it would kill him to lose her again.

He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I..." he started; looking over at her and when she met his eyes he forgot what it was he had been about to say. He saw the irony in their situation, that this time it was Alice having to make the choice to leave her world behind for him, the way he had left his world for her. It was as if everything had come full circle and the impact of that shook him more than he was letting on. Alice continued to stare at him, trying to see what he had been about to say.

Hatter finally rolled his eyes up to the sky and shook his head wearily. "Bossy Oyster."

The affectionate rumble made her blink and almost smile. But she was still on edge, still waiting for his arguments. Hatter clicked his tongue.

"You know, this is the second time I've had to buy you from someone, and again I had to pay a considerable price for you. You could bankrupt me, Alice," he pointed out, looking down at her. Alice stared back at him and, moving even closer to him, leaned in against his side.

"I'm not worth it?" she asked, arching a brow at him. Hatter looked her up and down appraisingly, a devious glint in his eyes that made her breathless.

"Oh, I'm not saying that." He reached up and adjusted his hat brim, the gesture almost absurd but also making it clear how nervous he was. Alice kept her eyes on him, not daring to look away this time. He shrugged his shoulders and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "This is just rather… permanent, you know."

"I think I can handle permanent now," Alice stated and he reached out to take her hand in his, fingers brushing over her palm gently. "As long as we can share the insanity of it."

"I have more than enough of that for both of us," he grumbled though he was smiling. His grip tightened and Hatter reached out with his other hand to caress her cheek. Alice stared back at him, licking her lips nervously when he studied her intently. "My Alice," he murmured and she smiled at him, reaching up to hold his hand against her face.

"Don't ask me to leave you again, Hatter. I won't," she said firmly and his eyes trailed down her face, his thumb trailing a small circle over her cheek. The gentle touch almost made her close her eyes and Alice felt him lean closer, his breath brushing her lips.

"I think you're stuck with me then. I told you I'd take care of you if you ever were stuck in Wonderland," he said and pressed a kiss against her lips that was surprisingly chaste. She pulled back and met his gaze with a small smile; reaching up and pushing his hat back from his forehead.

"That's the best news I've had in days," she answered before moving forward and kissing him soundly. She broke the kiss quickly before he could deepen it and leaned her forehead against his.

"Stay with me then," he murmured, fingers holding her chin still and Alice nodded.

"You're stuck with me," she said. Hatter chuckled and dove his hands into her hair, pulling her close to kiss her once more. He was too tired of fighting his emotions, of fighting what she meant to him, and at the feel of her mouth against his he knew that she had made her choice. He'd be damned if he'd ever give her a chance to regret that choice.

Curling her hands against his arms, Alice felt a strange release in his declaration. It was terrifying and exciting, the realization that her entire life was about to change further. But feeling his strong grip holding her hand and steadying her while they kissed on a precariously high ledge, Alice let go of the lingering doubt and fears she had had that she was worth this kind of love.

_Stay with me._

The words had had a strange finality about them, one that neither of them feared, and a declaration that made it clear how tightly bound they were becoming. Alice, who might have been terrified of such words not so long ago, found the soft plea reassuring and touching, while the once emotionally ambivalent Hatter was struck by his own need. Even as they touched, sitting on a ledge overlooking the misty city, it was a startling realization that both of them had changed so much from their first meeting, and just how much both had been willing to give up for the other since that first tense exchange of words. Alice broke away from the kiss, giving Hatter a small smile before she leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder.

"What do we do now?" she asked after a while, staring at the city. Hatter shrugged and eyed her sidelong, seeing the anticipation in her face.

"You trust me, luv?" he responded and Alice lifted her head from his shoulder slightly to look at him. He looked over at her, noticing that she had a bit of her old glow back again. Hatter couldn't help but grin, the cocky reassurance in his grin making her smile back at him. She wrapped her fingers about his and squeezed warmly.

"Completely."


End file.
